Bankotsu: The Leader of the Band of Seven
by Merky15
Summary: His greatest weakness was that he thought he had none. This is the story of the first life and death of Bankotsu, the dreaded leader of the Band of Seven. From the very beginnings to his eventual demise. Accurately involved with the anime, Please R
1. Bankotsu: The Birth

_**I'm really proud of how this is going. I hope you enjoy it too. Oh, and I don't own any of the Takahashi characters, but I do claim ownership of my own and the parts of the plot I created. ENJOY  
**_

**Bankotsu: The Birth**

"Leave now!" a man yelled. He wore armor of a samurai, and looked as if he was in his 30's. He had a semi muscular build, and his long black hair was held in a pony tail. He wore a mustache that fell to his lips, and right above his head fell a long purple stripe that grew shorter to his eyebrows, along with another that began at his chin. His thick eyebrows slanted down in anger as his red eyes stared at a large red centaur with a long white mane.

The man held a large halberd, and was using it to hold of the large demon's club. He parried him off into a large tree and looked behind him to a woman. She was a very attractive and wore a long elegant kimono with many under layers, but the main one was a salmon color with the design of white sea lily's. Right above her eyebrows laid a mark similar to a stretched out "V" with a small diamond shaped underneath. She had black parted bangs and long hair that fell to her backHer bright blue eyes stared intently into his.

"Mitaru!!!" the man began, "You have to leave now!!! You have to save yourself and the child"

Mitaru stared at her husband and fiercely shook her head, "I won't leave you. How can you expect me to..."

"Enough!" he yelled firmly. The women stopped. A single tear rolled down her face.

The Man ran to her, "Listen to me my love, this battle our people are trying to win may not be won. We're running out of warriors and the demons keep coming"

"No" she yelled in disbelief, " We are Divine Beings, as long as we stay here we can fight and destroy the demons that plague us"

He shook his head, "I will continue to fight with the remainder of our brethren Mitaru, but you must leave and stay hidden" he placed his hand to her large stomach, "We owe our son that much"

She looked around at the bodies of dead demons and divine beings thrown on the floor, which was once their people's village center. She hugged her husband, fighting back tears.

He tried his best not to cave into his emotions, and gently pushed her away, "Go to the hidden cave at the edge of town" he spoke softly, "I'll find you, I promise"

She nodded, "I understand" and with that she ran through the field of corpses as another centaur ran towards the man. As she ran she stared at the thousands of dead; some of which were people she'd known, but she didn't let this stop her as she continued to run.

The battle continued and the sounds of the clanging of swords, the shrieking of the dying, and the roars of the demons continued to ring out. Suddenly, a large dragon appeared before her and struck her with its tail, she moved but not in time to escape a small scratch on her arm.

She knelt down and placed her hands together, her eyes were closed. Slowly a bright light began to appear between her palms. Eventually, it absorbed her. When she opened her eyes she was laying in a small cave panting. She had lost a lot of energy teleporting. She placed her hand on her stomach. "My son, don't worry…" she smiled, "I will never allow anything bad to happen to you"

She sat alone in the cave listening to the cold silence. After hours of waiting for her love she heard footsteps and caught the aura of the man. Farther off she felt the aura of many demons. "Mitaru!!!" the man called as he entered the cave. He was covered in blood, but was still standing. He noticed her worried expression, "I'll be fine, but you must leave now"

"What do you mean? Where would you have me go?" she asked defiantly.

"Mitaru, I am the only one left. They will come after me, in fact I know they will. I'm sure you've already sensed the demons" he coughed up blood, "you at least have to live"

Demons could be heard close to the cave. He placed his hands together similar to what Mitaru did earlier except the light came from with in him, and as the light in his hands grew the light that surrounded him (which all Divine Spirits have) began to dim to almost nothing. Mitaru's eyes widened as she realized what her husband was attempting. "Your divine light,? My love why are you…"

He shot the wall at the end of the cave with the light from his hand. The wall began to glow and turned into a type of vortex. " A portal?" she gasped, "You wish me to leave and go to the mortal world?"

He shook his head firm in his decision, "You have no other choice"

She shook, ran to him, and held him fast, "I'll stay and die with you"

He pulled her back holding her arms, "And what of the child? He'll die as well?"

"Then come with us" she asked pleadingly.

"I am the one who has to hold the portal open for you and keep the demons from going after you" he unsheathed his halberd, "Take Banryu, incase they do come after you"

She stared at him in disbelief. Just yesterday everything in her life was peaceful. She would give birth soon, and everything seemed in its rightful place. "Have you forgotten" she started, "If our son is not born here, in these lands, he will not become a Divine Being. He'll just be a..."

"I know and it is a sacrifice we have to make"

The demons were now a few feet away from the cave, "YOU HAVE TO GO NOW!!!" he yelled.

"No...I-I can't"

He pulled her in for an embrace and allowed their lips to meet for a the final time. He pulled away and looked into his love's tearing eyes, "There is nothing left for you here"

Tears ran down her face as the demons were heard just outside the cave. "NOW!!!" he yelled. He gently pushed her into the vortex right before the demons entered. She saw a mass of demons surrounded him, she screamed his name, and the portal closed.

When she opened her eyes she was laying in a bed, three nurses surrounded her.

"She's awoken" one spoke. A large pain hit Mitaru. "_The baby_" she thought. She began wondering if the child would be born mortal. "Push" another nurse spoke.

"_My son what will become of you?_" she thought.

"I see the head" the third nurse began. Mitaru gave one last push, relief. But nothing was heard. "Is he okay. The baby...is he okay" she panted.

"Yes" the third nurse spoke, "...He's...fine" but she sounded confused. The infant giggled with a smile as his chubby fingers found their way towards the nurses hair.

The nurses left the room after the proper process had finished. "The child isn't normal, not a single scream" the first nurse whispered. The second nurse nodded in agreement, "He isn't normal, do you suppose they're demons?"

The first one answered "No, the head priest would have sensed that when he found her"

The third one added, "Those markings on his forehead though, that's not human"

"Should we inform the priest of these happenings?" the second one asked.

"No" said the first one, "lets just see what happens".

"Bankotsu" Mitaru smiled exhausted and slightly defeated, "That shall be your name"

She stared at the markings on his head as it began to glow. "Your mark... on Divine Children it begins to glow at the mother's first touch. Strange yours should glow. I sense no Divine Energy from you" she laughed to herself weakly, "You must have inherited some traits after all"

She placed her thumb gently on his purple cross. Suddenly, flashes jumped into her mind of her son's future, they weren't clear but enough to show her some insight. When she released her thumb, the mark stopped glowing.

She panted slightly and opened her eyes, "You will be mortal my son" she sounded slightly disappointed, "But I see strength unimaginable from any mortal"

Bankotsu grabbed her finger. Mitaru smiled at this, "Your future is very cloudy. This isn't normal for any Divine Child, but I suppose that's normal since you aren't one" she smiled. He placed her finger in his mouth and her smile widened, "Great things will come from you my son. Whether they are good or evil is up to you"


	2. Bankotsu: The Promise

**Bankotsu: The Promise**

A child ran through the forest dodging the trees that he passed with a huge grin on his face. A large demon was close behind him. It had one large eye and was light blue wearing only a rag. He had two horns on his head and was easily 10x's the size of the boy he was pursuing.

The demon's large claws kept trying to close in on the child, but was almost too easily dodged. " Come on, I thought you were an 'all powerful demon'" the boy mocked with a chuckle.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT I'LL KILL YOU, AND USE YOUR BONES AS TOOTH PICKS"

"Yeah but your gonna have to catch me first, and I really doubt that's ever gonna happen"

The boy was carrying a very large boar probably as big as he was with great ease. The demon was enraged by this comment and with all his force speeded at the kid. In shock, the boy tripped on an out growing root and fell to his knees. The demon continued to push ahead, but had stopped in his steps.

The demon had been roughly thrown back by a barrier. He rose, a little dizzy, and stared at the human child, who dusted himself off staring at the ogre. "YOU LITTLE RAT WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I'LL …"

The child laughed at this comment, "and how the hell do you plan on getting me, moron?"

The demon roared and began to slash at the barrier, but the harder he slashed the funnier the scene became to the child. "What's wrong?" the child smirked in an innocent voice, "You want this?" he began to lift the dead boar over his head. "Mmm… it looks so tasty, I'm gonna enjoy eating this" he started sniffing the boar and rubbing its pelt .

"YOU PATHETIC LITTLE FOOL DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

The kid gave an uninterested look with his eyes drooping a little, "An idiot, who got beat by an 8 year old"

"NO!!! YOU INCOMPETENT LITTLE WORM I AM THE GREAT…"

The kid sighed. Every demon he ever faced always gave him this stupid speech, that always started with, I am the great…something or other. "Look I really don't care and now I'm gonna leave and eat 'MY' dinner so…." he began to walk away with the large boar still over his head listening to the demons yells of furry. The boy responded by simply sticking out his tongue.

.

As the child began to walk again, he noticed the weight he had been carrying get a lot lighter. He looked up and saw a young women holding the boar by it's tail with a single hand, "Bankotsu…" the woman sighed staring at the boy, then at the yelling demon.

The child gave a guilty giggle while rubbing the back of his head, "Hey mom, what brings you here?"

The child had long black hair kept in that famous braid, along with his purple mark and big blue eyes. He wore a white kimono with blue on the cuffs and the shoulders. He tried his best to put on his most innocent face.

She gave him a small shake of her head and walk towards the demon lowering the barrier, "What seems to be the problem?"

As if she hadn't already known. At least once, sometimes twice, a week out of boredom her little imp of a son would go out and bother some unsuspecting demon. He would end up being chased back to her barrier where she tried to resolve the problem. Although she found it hard to resolve the said problems. The larger more idiotic demons would have to be killed and she didn't think this one would be any different.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!!" the demon roared.

"I'm the boys mother" she spoke indifferently, and even possibly annoyed.

The demon sniffed the women, " YOU AREN'T HUMAN"

She sighed at how obvious the demon was, "No I am not, but that is besides the point what has my son done to deserve your chasing of him?"

Bankotsu stared from his mother to the demon knowing what was going to happen, and he loved it from the chasing to the end where his mother "resolved" the problem.

"Mother or not, this isn't your concern woman" the demon started, "THAT LITTLE INSECT HAS STLOEN WHAT BELONGS TO ME"

She stared at the dead animal in her hands, "I apologize for my sons behavior" she threw the boar to his feet. "If that was the only problem then I trust that we have no more transgressions to act upon, good day" she looked at her son who had a look of disappointment on his face. Not only had his mother given back the dinner he stole, but she didn't even kill the demon.

As soon as the Mitaru had turned her back and Bankotsu had began to lose hope, the demon attacked. Mitaru jumped to the side and had made her hand glow a beautiful white light with a hint of blue. The light extended from her hand straight into the demons chest who fell to the floor. Mitaru shook her head. Bankotsu smiled, "Finally! you took forever that time"

His mother gave him a look of disapproval. "Bankotsu…" she growled testingly.

He looked at her and knew she wasn't thrilled with the event as much as he had been, "Look I know what your thinking, but I had no choice this time. I only did it to get dinner, so you didn't have to….so really I did it for you…so, this is really your fault"

She gave a sarcastic smirk, "Oh really, is it know? Because I could have sworn it was Bankotsu who had stolen the boar, and Bankotsu who was being chased, and Bankotsu who began mocking the ogre?"

He shrugged "Well it's okay you're not perfect. Well since it's here, there isn't any use in leaving the boar. You think we can…?"

She stared at the boar then at her son, "Fine, but I'm not carrying it"

* * *

Later that night Bankotsu laid in his bed. He felt safe being guarded by his mother's barrier. He remembered how he used to live in the village that was not too far from this forest. He remembered how they fled (which was strange that he would remember, according to his mother, since he was only 4), but that was all he remembered about that.

He asked his mother one night, why they had left. It wasn't a hard topic for her to discuss but it led her to think about other things. She had rubbed his head the way she tended to do, "_Humans are not all that different from demons or divines_"

He loved how his mother never spoke to him as a child, "_Humans hold the same things in their heart such as everyone does like love, hate, and greed_"

While he prided himself in understanding his mother's words, this confused him. "_Humans" _she had said_ "Carry one thing different then us Bankotsu_"

He looked at her with curiosity, "_What?"_

_S_he smiled "_Extended fear. All of us have some fear. It's sad but humans fear what they don't understand and fear is never a good quality in the humans' case. It leads to horrible things_"

"_Okay, but mom what am I then?" _

He remembered his mom telling him about their people and of their city. He remembered the stories of how brave his father was. She even told him how he died and of course the traditions and traits all Divines have, and the ones he had inherited. She had never given him any true unnerving signs nor pain. Even when speaking about his father there was sadness but not pain, but when he asked her this question she looked away. She had paused a few moments masking her expression before turning around, "_one question per night Bankotsu, you know the rule_"

He never asked the question out of fear of seeing that face again. He decided though that he was not a human, he didn't want to have those traits of fear his mother spoke of. "I guess I'm a mortal, but I'm not gonna fear anything and I'm not gonna be like them"

He tried to recall his memory of leaving the old village. He remembered yelling, and of arrows being shot everywhere the day they left. He remembered the town in ruins and most of all his mothers face taking in all the pain from the arrows holding his face into hers; away from the sight.

"_Bankotsu_.." she had smiled in tears "_I will never let anything happen to you I will always protect you_"

He stared at the ceiling, "Then why the hell does she protect that village still if they kicked us out?" he wondered.

"knock knock"

Bankotsu looked up to see the voice and saw Mitaru at the doorway, "Oh hey mom"

She walked over to him for their nightly talk, but this time she seemed more serious. She sat next to him, "Bankotsu, you remember the night we left, right?"

He nodded confused that she would bring this up, "Yeah, kinda"

"That's Good" she smiled, "Do you remember what I told you?"

He looked away, "You said you'd always protect me"

She smiled and pushed his head to his chest, "I meant it Bankotsu"

He pouted at being hugged like a child and gently pushed away, "Yeah mom, I know you did"

She smiled again at him, "I always will protect you Bankotsu, but you have to understand that it does not mean you can run around causing any sort of mischief you desire. Not because I don't want to protect you, but because I think you are old enough to learn to fight for yourself"

He looked at her not quite following . She continued, "You have to learn discipline and not to go looking for trouble"

Mitaru looked at him to see if he was following. He took offensive and his little hands fisted, "I don't go looking for trouble!"

She smirked sarcastically, "Oh please. You're bored, and your big eyes light up at the sign of mischief"

He loosened his fist. He knew she was right, but somehow felt he was being punished.

"Follow me, I have a surprise for you Bankotsu" she grabbed the candle by his bed and walked out the door. He looked at his mother interested and followed her.

They walked through the forest in the cold night and crickets were heard chirping. If you listened even more carefully the cry of bats would ring out. "I don't believe I have ever showed this to you" Mitaru called to her son who followed behind her. He watched his mothers footsteps. "What is it?"

"It's always questions with you. A little patience please"

When they stopped, they came to a shrine with torches around the staircase. "Wow, how long has this been here?" Bankotsu blinked.

"I want to give you a gift" Mitaru smiled. She placed her hands on the door and closed her eyes. A light came from her hand and the door opened. Bankotsu quickly ran through the door in excitement. "Hold on!" Mitaru called, "You almost tripped me"

She entered the shrine to see her son staring dreamily at the treasured object placed against the wall held up by two poles for display. It was a gigantic halberd. A bright purple satin cover was placed over the blade, and he couldn't help but think that it matched his divine mark. Mitaru noticed the look of awe in her sons eyes, "I would like you to meet Banryu"

He moved towards it. "Banryu?" he repeated.

She nodded, "This sword belonged to your father it has slain many a demon and he yielded it with extreme skill. I'll be willing to give it to you, but only when you are able to effectively wield it with only one hand"

He waved her off, "I can pick it up right now"

She placed her hands across her chest, "It takes at least 3 men to carry it, and it's more then twice your size."

He placed his hands on the handle, "I can handle it"

He began to concentrate all his strength into lifting his sword, but couldn't succeed in budging the halberd. "It's going to take a lot of training and hard work" Mitaru spoke as she watched her struggling son. "When you prove to me you can handle its strength, Banryu is yours" she walked off. Bankotsu gave one last failed attempt to lift Banryu before following his mother..

"I'll wield you very soon Banryu" he smiled back, "Way better then my old man ever did. You'll see" he gave the weapon one last smile and ran after his mother. Thoughts of his future adventures and battles with his "companion" ran through his head.

He understood why his mother had said he should learn self reliance. She didn't want to see him hurt if she was not around. Something else made him excited though. He could become stronger then any human, demon, or divine. He could get strong and get rid of that fear his mother told him about. He held his mother's arm, "You can't take back your promise about Banryu mom"

She held his arm back. "I won't" she smiled, " but right now you have to get some sleep"

He nodded, "yeah okay, but lets start training in the morning okay? I can't wait"

They walked back to their home and she prepared him for bed by kissing him good night as she always had done, ever since he was very little.


	3. Bankotsu: The Turning Point

**Bankotsu: The Turning Point**

"Bankotsu!"

The young boy turned around in time to receive a punch to the face. "You're leaving yourself open for attack" Mitaru corrected.

Bankotsu wiped the blood from his lip, slightly annoyed, and rose from the ground. Training had become tougher since the conversation with his mother 2 weeks ago. Usually his training involved minor practice with his martial arts and some minor calisthenics. He never realized how weak he _actually_ was before he started his mothers "new" training and this angered him.

He rushed Mitaru impatiently, and she gently moved to the side. She grabbed his collar and threw him back to the ground. She sighed, " I believe I've gone over this with you before on more then one occasion"

He panted rising to his knees. His mother continued; her voice was clear and calm, everything she said was properly pronounced in a soft slow tone. She seemed incapable of raising her voice. "You can not simply count on your strength as it is now. Rushing in…"

He interrupted impatiently "…blindly is a fool tactic. I know you've said it before, and I still don't know what the hell you're talking about"

While he rarely got upset, being reminded of his mortality was enough to anger the young child. His mother shot him a dirty look for his language. He responded with a innocent/sorry face.

"Wildly using your strength without control will never bring you to victory" Mitaru knelt to be eye level with her son and dipped part of her sleeve in the river. She wiped the dirt off his face. He gave an annoyed stance in response, "what!?" he asked confused.

"That's what that means" Mitaru smirked. Bankotsu looked towards the river as his mother placed her arms around him. Mitaru spoke in a soft voice, "Some are born with demonic powers, some with spiritual, and some people, such as myself, are born with the power of the Divine…"

Bankotsu tightened slightly while listening. He stared at his reflection as his mother continued.

"…But Bankotsu" she smiled, "you were not born with such gifts, and because of that you can strengthen yourself to surpass the limits of those who were" she turned her head to look into his eyes, "It will just take you a little longer"

He sighed and allowed himself to fall to his mother for comfort. She held his head, "You are still young and I know learning this know is hard, but I have faith in your resolve Bankotsu"

_____________________________________

Throughout the years Bankotsu trained with Mitaru in hopes of becoming as strong as his mother promised him he could be. She had taught him everything she had known about fighting, their people's history, and lessons she had held in high regards throughout her life. Every so often Bankotsu would try to lift his fathers halberd and every time he was able to lift it a little more and more.

Then at the age of 16 Mitaru had given him beautiful armor made of white ivory, and blue sapphire mixed in with her own divine powers for extra strength (It was the same as his regular armor only it had two shoulder guards on it).

After one particular night of rigorous training the young sixteen year old laid in his bed only wearing his kimono pants which were rolled up past his knees. He let his hair out of his braid and let his long flowing black hair fall down over his tanned back and chest. He had placed warm rags over his aching knees and neck.

"Damn, knees" he sighed. He placed his leg on the bed with his knee up and poked it in agitation, wincing with every poke.

"knock, knock"

"Huh?" Bankotsu looked over to his mother standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey mom. What's going on" his childish quirky voice had taken effect (the one he usually has).

"Tough today?" she smiled while leaning on the doorway. He smiled and slid over for his mother to sit down, "Heh, not as bad as you usually throw it on" he closed his eyes and shrugged, "But, I guess it was okay"

She took a seat next to her son, "Well then my only alternative is to make tomorrow's training harder" she playfully rubbed his head.

"I'd be looking forward to it if it weren't my day off" he smirked. She placed a fisted hand gently on her open palm and gave a small "Oh!?" she smiled at her son, " It must have slipped my mind I suppose. The next day then" she gave him a small peck on his cheek and rose to leave.

"Hey, mom?" his head was turned facing the open door leading to the outside.

"Yes what is it" she turned around with both hands placed in her sleeves.

"I asked you why we left the village one night, do you remember?"

"yes, I remember"

He took a second to think of how to phrase his next question, " I should have asked you why they wanted us to leave"

His bright blue eyes turned to look at his mother awaiting an answer. She gave a sigh, "If I recall I spoke to you about the fear in humans, didn't I?"

He gave a small nod as she continued, "Well what I told you was the truth, but I assume that you want more details" her eyes also fell to the outside, "During the demon attack on our old Divine village I was in labor. All of our people were killed and your father sacrificed himself for us to live by fending off the demons while we escaped. I was found unconscious in the forest by a priest. Luckily he had purified the demons who pursued me. I was safe and then able to give birth to you."

"Well it sounds like everything was going fine, what happened?"

"Well…" she sat back down knowing how long the story was going to be, "…the villagers began to talk, and….Well…they had convinced themselves that we were demons" she gave a sad sigh. She turned to her son, as she relayed the story, "the day it had happened you were so small….."

__________________

_A loud pounding was heard, It sounded like footsteps. Mitaru rose and slid open the door to find a middle aged bald man riding over on a brown horse. He wore a long and elegant robe of gold and purple. "Head priest Izomaru? is everything alright?" Mitaru stared as the priest jumped off the horse and ran over to her. "Mi…taru…" he panted. She looked at the older man slightly confused, "yes, what is it?" _

"_I can no longer keep them at bay"_

_Her face grew serious and she rushed him inside, "What is it? Demons?"_

_Bankotsu was seen in the corner staring at some ants who crawled by; a smile on his little face. Izomaru shook his head, "No! not demons, the villagers. You live high on this mountain. It will take awhile before they arrive, at least long enough for you and the boy to run" he placed his hand on Mitaru's shoulders._

"_I'm confused" she looked at Bankotsu who ran over to her and continued, "why would they attack…" _

_He shook his head "…they blame the crops dying and the mysterious deaths of the young girls on you" _

"_That's ridiculous! Izomaru you were with me when I sealed that demon with my Divine Powers"_

_He nodded "yes Mitaru I know, and I've tried to explain that to the villagers, but now they think that I have become bewitched by you" _

_She looked at her young son who clenched her kimono, "and where would I go Izomaru? Where do I take my child?" she spoke desperately, stubbornly._

"_Listen to me, I know you are neither Demon nor Mortal Mitaru, but the humans of this world won't listen to reason when they're this terrified. I merely came to warn you. Now please listen to me and leave"_

_She nodded she knew that he was right, "yes, I understand. When?"_

"_You have to leave as soon as…" his words were cut short as he fell to the floor. _

"_IZOMARU?!" she yelled as she knelt to the floor; seeing the arrow in his back. The one who shot it was an uglier younger man in his late 20's, "He betrayed us…" he looked at the other villagers for approval, "…and was being controlled by this she-devil, did you all see it?" _

_All the men nodded half in fear half in amusement. Mitaru rose and placed her son behind her, "why?……How can you do this?" she stopped, and looked down to see the priest holding her kimono on the floor._

"_Please…Mitaru…" he coughed straining to speak, "don't hurt them…they just fear…what they don't understand" a tear ran down his face._

"_Izomaru…" she smiled and placed her hand on his back, "…rest in peace my friend. I will not hurt anyone in this village'" he found belief in these words and closed his eyes………………_

_____________________________

"I believe you recall the rest Bankotsu" Mitaru finished.

He nodded, "yeah more or less I guess" he removed the rags off his knees and neck throwing them in the tub. She watched her son's movements somehow understanding his thoughts. She grabbed his arm turning him around, "look at me Bankotsu, not every human is like that, you are not like that"

He looked away unconvinced. "Bankotsu!…" her voice grew more serious, "…weak humans killed Izomaru, and weak humans tried to kill us"

"Heh," he gave a small smirk as he faced her, "In my opinion all humans are weak" he spoke in a dark and smug tone, "So then, why should I waste my life protecting them?"

The question had sent her slightly aback and she hesitated to answer, "…You were born different. Yes, you are mortal but you have surpassed the strength of any human, and because of that you should help those who are weaker then you…"

"Life is short for me" he said slightly angry. He turned to his mother with a smug smirk on his face, and a passionate gleam in his eye, "So I'm going to spend it doing what I want, and besides they wouldn't do the same for us would they?"

He looked at his mother, and when she didn't answer he laid on his bed, smiling in his calm, happy, stress free, uncaring way, " I'm not going to waste my time like you did, if that's what you're thinking" he placed his hands behind his head, "I'm sickened by how stupid they are. They actually thought that they could beat you or any _real _demon?" he started to give a soft chuckle.

Mitaru stood to leave. She stopped, and turned her head back slightly, "They are weak Bankotsu, that is true, but you should remember that their fear and their weakness is linked to their mortality"

He stopped his laughing and turned to his mother. He looked at her with a perfectly dumbfounded expression, "yeah, so what?"

She turned and faced him at the doorway, "…humans are scared of death, of dying, and of their own mortality"

He looked at her with his mouth slightly open, "…why the hell should I care?"

She grew slightly angry at her sons ignorance, "Because…" she spoke sternly "…mortality is something that you share with them. You should learn to be more sympathetic towards humans."

He gave a small "Heh" and turned to his other side to sleep, his back facing her. Mitaru turned and left. For the first time she was in worry of her son's future.

"_It's not just humans either…" _Bankotsu thought to himself, "_most demons are the same too_. _They're all idiots motivated by greed…" _he rolled to his other side a gave a yawn, "_not one that I've fought really deserved to live_"

He slowly closed his big blue eyes and started to fall asleep. One fact would always ring true in life. Strength was the means of survival, and the weak didn't stand a chance nor did they deserve it.

_____________________________________

**I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I'll get the next chapter out soon. Please feel free to send me some of your thoughts on the story. I'd appreciate it.**

**Much Love, Merky15**


	4. Bankotsu: The Realization

**Bankotsu: The Realization**

A loud scream or roar was heard far off in the forest. Load enough to catch the attention of Mitaru who was fetching water from the river. She placed the two pails down and stared at the vast amount of trees ahead of her. A loud thud accompanied the wails and was followed by a flock of birds flying away from the forest.

The sky was cleared of any clouds and the sun was shinning down Beautifully. It was a shame that Mitaru had to waste her day off finding the culprit of this damage. If it was left alone she knew there was a good chance it would attack the village or even her small home. She let out a small sigh and headed towards the culprit.

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"_What could have done this?" _

Large demon corpses along with many trees fallen trees lined the forest floor, creating a path of destruction. "This trail started here?" Mitaru stared at the spot the destruction started, "It's coming from the direction of my….so the culprit started…" an idea occurred in her mind, but she quickly discarded it and continued down the path almost gliding a few feat off the floor.

The further she continued the more destruction the forest was in. She noted that the damage was also moving closer and closer to the village. Mitaru grew worried at this fact. She held her head down deep in thought. "I should have sensed a demonic aura if it was strong enough to cause this damage. Still, even now I can't sense one"

She looked down at the corpses. They were slain with, most likely, a blade. "_ I doubt anything other then a demon could be capable of doing this_" she thought while examining the demon's remains.

While she was in thought a large demon, like a serpent, with large claws and pinchers on its mouth attacked. Mitaru moved elegantly to the side.

She prepared herself for attack, but it was unnecessary. The demon was suddenly cut in half from his head down. Mitaru stared at the culprit, who was holding a large Halberd covered in blood. A large satisfying grin fell on his face, and a dab of blood (not his own) was on his cheek. He looked down admiring his kill, "..Thirty..." he smirked.

"…Bankotsu…?" Mitaru chocked out. Her words coming out in a low whisper. He turned his head smiling with his eyes closed, "oh hey mom, pretty impressive huh? I was planning on showing you when I perfected my technique a little, but…"

"Enough!" she yelled in anger, "You said Thirty. Thirty what?… Needless killings"

She stared at her son who effortlessly held the sword with one hand. He looked at her slightly annoyed, "what's wrong mother? I'm finally able to use the Banryu I thought you'd be proud"

"Proud!?" her voice still recovering from the shock, "of what? You hunted and killed these demons for amusement!"

"Oh, that?" he smiled slightly when he understood her reasoning, "They were weak. What's the point of them being alive if they can't even defend themselves" he motioned towards the demons with Banryu, "I suppose I did them a favor"

His mother stared at the corpses expressions and thought of her people's last battle. Her fists tightened, "whether they lived or died wasn't your choice. I told you not to look for trouble before Bankotsu"

"You told me not to look for fights if I _couldn't_ defend myself" he smiled (kind of evilly) "and I can now" he lifted up his Banryu, "your just angry that I can wield the sword better then that pile of worm food…"

His comment was met with a slap to the face by Mitaru. He looked on in shock, with his head to the side from impact. "Owww" he rubbed the pink mark on his face.

"Your father sacrificed his life for yours, show him some respect."

"What does it matter now? He's dead. He should have been strong enough to save us and himself. It was his weakness that led to his death. It's how it is isn't it? When people are weak, they die"

She ignored his comment, " I have no patience right now for you or your idiotic talk. I think you've killed enough for today. Clean this mess up. If I hear another sound coming from this forest I will take Banryu back, and destroy it myself"

"You promised to give me Banryu if I could wield it, which I can, very well, remember?"

"I said if you could handle it, and now I'm not so sure that you can"

"Heh, I have to disagree with you there" he gave his furious mother a smirk and quickly discarded it after realizing he had crossed the line a long time ago.

"I don't want to see you for the rest of the evening until you clean this mess up, do you understand?"

He gave an annoyed nod, and sheathed his weapon, "Sure, thing"

She left back to her home, gliding back the way she came. "_What have I been doing? How could he do this with a smirk on his face?_"

The image of her son in his youth fell to her mind. She sighed, "Maybe, I expected to much of him"

A small vision of Bankotsu walking away fell to her mind. She looked down knowing why she would think this, "I have taught him all I could. My son I am afraid I will lose you very soon, and you will have to learn the rest on your own"

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Bankotsu wiped off his blade in the lake, that ran into he river, mumbling angrily to himself, "Crap, maybe I went too far this time" he began to towel Banryu off.

"Dammit" he shook his head angrily, "I hate getting her upset" he sighed, "she holds grudges forever"

He rested the Halberd on his leg, "I wasn't wrong. Those demons were weak on their own,"

A type of realization fell into his eyes. He slowly let his stare fall on Banryu, "They were all weak _on their own_"

His mother's past words entered his head, "_In order to become strong you have to make yourself strong"_

He smiled, "But…there's another way for me to become powerful…"

Yes, it all started to make sense to him, "…To place power in an object"

He looked up and saw a shooting star fly by. He stood up and placed his hand on Banryu looking at the sky, "I wish for Banryu to become even more powerful, so I can become strong and destroy all my enemies" he smiled, "that is my wish"

"Really, is that your wish?" a head poked out of the lake. He was an older looking demon with a large blue beard, and with fish fins for ears. Bankotsu held Banryu's point towards the old man, "What? Do you want to die or something old-timer"

"Do you wish for a stronger weapon or not child?" the demon asked. Bankotsu lowered Banryu his big eyes widening, "What? Can you do that?".

"I could"

Again the halberd was aimed towards the man's neck. The small demon gulped in response. Bankotsu smirked at this, "Well then, I suggest you start to talk"

"I sense much wrath in your heart. I believe that that rage will allow you to open the Orishitami. If you open the Orishitami I will tell you how to enhance your halberd's strength".

"Really? where can I find this Orishitami"

The demon motioned towards a small miniature shrine by the lake.

"What?" Bankotsu scoffed, "that stupid little shrine?"

The demon gave a giggle, "The Orishitami is being purified, and sealed in that _little shrine_ by a long ago priest of the village, the same village that had betrayed you"

Bankotsu almost effortlessly jumped across the lake over to the shrine. The demon smirked "_excellent he's a human and can't be purified by the shrine_" his thoughts ran with excitement. Bankotsu stared at the old man, "Before I do anything, tell me how you knew I hated that village"

"Easily I am a water spirit and can easily read your thought's child. Now hurry and destroy it"

Bankotsu gave his famous smirk, "You know I'm not exactly an idiot, this Orishitami thingy has something to do with you, and you want me to brake it for a reason"

A sweat drop appeared on the water spirits face. Bankotsu continued knowing he was right, "Why not tell me why it's sealed up in the first place old-timer?"

"The Orishitami hides and seals my true form. I attacked the village and was sealed in this shrine, now I can not leave this lake"

"Some spirit, attacking a village" he smirked.

"Those weak fools deserve to die"

"So, you want me to free you so you can get your revenge, huh?"

The demon smiled with excitement, "Yes, that is the plan, but remember it will also benefit you. After you destroy the shrine I will tell you how to strengthen your precious halberd"

He placed Banryu on his shoulders in thought for a moment. He nodded after a few seconds, "yeah sure, I'll help you out, but I need a guarantee about Banryu becoming stronger, spirit"

"Yes of course" he quickly nodded, "I give you my word"

"Good enough" Bankotsu shrugged, "Now what do I do?"

"The Orishitami houses immense spiritual powers in order to seal my own power. If your own anger and rage can conquer that spiritual power, with your divine sword, the Orishitami will brake."

"…Soooo…" he blinked confused …"I just gotta crack through the shrine then?"

The spirit sighed, "Yes, if you want to simplify it"

Bankotsu placed both hands on the ready of Banryu. He looked intently at the miniature shrine. The task looked easy enough, but he got an uneasy feeling about the whole matter.

"Now child, if you set free my powers I will in turn teach you how to conquer your own limitations."

Bankotsu glared threateningly at the spirit, "If you are lying to me spirit, know that I will have to kill you"

With that Bankotsu struck Banryu down on the shrine. A type of barrier appeared and tried to repel the giant halberd.

"You have to use all of you anger, boy!!!" the spirit yelled. Bankotsu pushed harder, but the shrine shot lights of spiritual energy cutting Bankotsu's body. A single scratch appeared on his cheek.

He needed to use his anger? How would that help? The demon must have thought that he could tap into his full power if he was angry enough. Bankotsu let his mind wander to his past thoughts of the village. He recalled how the village had attacked his mother all those years ago. He remembered his mother' tears and he pushed Banryu down harder. Who was he kidding he wanted those villagers to die. He wanted the demon to get revenge. Those bastards deserved it.

Banryu started to glow in a reaction to the shrine. It was the swords on Divine Light. The shrine began to crack under the pressure until finally it split in two.

Inside the shrine was a perfectly round rock with a strange symbol, "_this must be the Orishitami" _Bankotsu thought_. _He looked down at the object, and the rock also split in two.

The spirit began to glow as soon as the rock cracked. A bright light enveloped him and he flew into the sky. When the light fell back down the old man was no longer there. Standing in his place was a very large white dragon with a blue fire mane along his neck and back. His eyes were crimson red and his large fangs were bared. The dragon chuckled lowly to Bankotsu, "I owe you my thanks child for freeing me. As payment I'll eat you _after_ those disgusting villagers".

"So, you were a demon, huh?" Bankotsu spoke uncaring and shrugged, "I thought there was something strange about you. No big deal I guess, I'll just kill you" he jumped to attack, but was forced to jump back as a huge tail flew his way.

. "Relax, child…" the demon spoke "…no sense in rushing to your death so fast. Don't you wish me to tell you how to strengthen your sword. After all, I am a demon of my word."

Bankotsu stared at the demon, "well, tell me then"

"Your halberd is touched strongly by a Divine Light. In order for it to become a strong demonic sword there needs to be more anger and hatred, that …..Hehehehe… and you need to be able to cut through my demonic power and absorb my blood…hehehehehehe. It's the only way you can get rid of the Divine Light. I doubted you could from the beginning however"

"So, to get rid of this Divine Light I have to first soak my blade in your blood and kill more demons? Don't tell me you're the only demon capable of getting rid of this light?"

"That's right, my water dragon blood has the capabilities of doing such a thing. It's to bad for you though, you're to weak to accomplish that task" the demon began to laugh.

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way…" Bankotsu smirked, "…but I'll gladly kill you, break down that divine light barrier, and make you number 31"

The dragon laughed even harder, "Is 30 all you have killed? How pathetic, you need at least 1000 humans and 1000 demons to complete the transformation, not to mention my blood to break down the divine barrier."

"So, I have to take 2000 lives and absorbed their hatred into my Banryu? Sounds easy enough. Besides, your cockiness is getting on my nerves, considering that you were weak enough to allow a mere priest to seal you" he shrugged.

The demon's laughter increased "You're very amusing kid. I like your attitude, but the one who sealed me wasn't a priest but in reality your own mother, to save the villagers that I'm about to devour. Perhaps you would enjoy watching these festivities?"

Bankotsu quickly jumped up and sliced the demons head off, but to his surprise it reverted into water with the rest of his body and floated down the river.

"I am the water you fool. You can not destroy me" the demons voice trailed off in an echoing laugh.

"I suppose I should thank him…" Bankotsu looked at the river as he spoke, "…he just made the whole Banryu situation a lot easier"

He smirked and twisted the Halberd over his head "…That fool is gonna suffer"

He calmly walked down the hills towards the village._________________________________________

**Kay the next chapters coming soon. I hope you guys are liking it so far. Please don't forget to comment. **

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	5. Bankotsu: New Beginnings

_**Bankotsu: New Beginnings**_

"_Something happened…_" Mitaru thought "…_I sense a huge demonic aura_" she rose and her face grew serious. She began to walk toward the forest in order to see if her small hunch was right.

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"_so my mother sealed him away did she?, that must have been the same demon she was talking about before…_" Bankotsu's eyes grew wide as he laughed at the irony of the situation "…So, these villagers are going to be killed by the demon that they thought mother was" he smiled and placed his hands behind his head.

_____________________

"Who could have done this?" Mitaru looked at the broken shrine "It was sealed with my divine powers, so only divine powers could have released it. This doesn't make any…" she paused in her sentence. A look of realization entered her face. Mitaru turned towards the village with a sigh of anger "…Banryu…"

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Loud screams broke out as blue flames engulfed the village. The flames burned on top of almost every house, and dead bodies were seen thrown on the floor, some were still on fire. On a near by hill, just above the village, Bankotsu watched slightly impressed by the water dragons strength, and indifferent about the weak humans dying.

The demon stopped as he was about to breath out more of his blue flames, when noticed Bankotsu. The demon gave a short chuckle "So child you decided to come did you? You seem so smug, have you found a way to destroy me perhaps?"

"The way your talking, you make it sound like that's impossible" he casually rose from the rock he was leaning on, and stared at the demon, speaking as if they were old friends.

The demon laughed "for a weak fool like you it is"

The villagers took the small pause in the demons attack to run inside the single unburned shed in fear. The demon didn't seem to care about this, and stared down at the smug child in front of him "I was going to be kind and allow you to live for a little while longer boy, but since you seem so eager to die, I'll just eat you were you stand!!!"

The demon lunged its large snout towards Bankotsu, who easily jumped out of the way and landed on the demons back. With that, the young teen quickly jumped up, and cut the demon in half through his stomach. To Bankotsu's surprise the dragons wounds healed, as his blood (which looks like water) pulled his wound back together; as a bright light shone. Then, the water demons tail slammed Bankotsu, who was in shock, into one of the burning buildings.

Bankotsu opened his eyes. He was laying on his back angry about being hit so easily. He rubbed his head, flames surrounding him, and pulled himself up using Banryu. "_Dammit_…" he thought, slightly annoyed " …_where the hell is this guys weakness? He reverts back after every strike from Banryu_"

The demon flew in front of the house where Bankotsu had landed "Are you still alive in there boy, hehehehehe…or have the flames already devoured you,?" the demon smirked when there was no reply "…I see, but just to make sure you're dead…" the demon opened his mouth sending another blast of flames towards the house. When the smoke cleared a shadow of a warrior was seen. Bankotsu stood in front of the burnt house, Banryu held in his front. "Don't tell me…" Bankotsu mocked "…you actually thought your weak flames could pierce threw my Banryu…" his mock turned into a yell."FOOL!!!" the demon roared in anger "… try and take my blast head on!!!" Another river of flames was shot towards Bankotsu. The young warrior jump straight towards the flames with Banryu in front.

"_Impossible_…" the demon thought "…_no mortal can survive my blue fire…" _he growled _"It has to be that horrid sword_"

Bankotsu pushed his way threw the fires, and smiled when he reached the front of his target "_I think I know were his weakness is…" _He hit the last of the fire away with Banryu, and stabbed straight threw the Dragon's chest.

The dragon gave a shocked looked to Bankotsu, who smiled "gotcha…"

The dragon smirked back, evilly "…Just Joking…" he bit down on Bankotsu, and held one of his arms and part of his chest on his mouth. Bankotsu let out a moan of pain "DAMITT…!!!"

"What's wrong boy; did you actually think you pierced through my heart?" The demon laughed. Bankotsu was sweating in pain as he looked at the beast "You shouldn't talk with your mouth full"

The demon smiled and bit down harder, Bankotsu screamed. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation child. Observe…" the demon suddenly had a large growth headed down his arm and into his palm, it started to pulse. Bankotsu's eyes widened as he saw the bulge _"…the heart_"

"you see, thanks to my blood water I can easily transport my heart to any part of my body, you wont be able to kill me if you don't know where my heart is." the demon began to laugh, and the heart returned to his torso. "It is that very blood water that would have dissolved the barrier around your halberd, of course it's far to late for that now," Bankotsu's gritted his teeth, and then his eyes began to close. The demon's eye stared down at the seemingly dead Bankotsu; blood stained his white Kimono and dripped off his bitten arm. "How pathetic" the demon sneered "this mortal child of Mitaru hardly even put up a fight…No matter…" he threw Bankotsu into his mouth, and turned towards the hut where the villagers were hiding. "Did you fools think that I forgot about you?!" he dragon inhaled, ready for another wave of flames, when he stopped in mid-breath. He began to fall back, and grasp his chest with his claw. "What…the…Hell is this?" he muttered out.

Suddenly, a burst of his blood water shot out of his chest with Banryu followed by Bankotsu. The young teen gracefully landed on the ground, now with a few scratches on his face. In his other hand he grasped something unseen. The blue flames that burned the village laid behind him, and he gave a smug smirk "Maybe you should learn to chew your food…"

The demon laughed "Very funny kid, I'll see that I won't make the same mistake again"

The dragon lunged forward, but a few feet away from Bankotsu, fell to the floor in pain. Bankotsu smiled and held out a large white pulsating heart being clenched in his fist. The demon noticed it and roared "YOU LITTLE BASTARD I'LL DESTROY YOU!!!!"

Again, the demon wildly flew towards Bankotsu. "Don't get me wrong…" Bankotsu smiled jumping out of the demons way "…it's been fun and all, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to cut are Battle short" he threw the heart in the air "It's over for you" he smirked, and sliced the demon heart in two with his Halberd. The demon let out a roar and his body began to disappear along with the blue fire.

Bankotsu fell to his knees holding his bleeding chest in pain. He looked up to see the heart's remains, still in half. Then, out of the heart came a long strand of the blood water. The blood water headed towards the giant halberd.

"Banryu?" Bankotsu stared, as his sword began to glow the same way the dragons wounds had done before. When the Banryu stopped glowing white glowing dust began to burst off the sword "…The divine light…it's coming of Banryu"

Bankotsu held his chest tighter, still in pain. His blood dripped into a puddle on the floor. The young warrior began to breath harder, "…That bastard…I guess…this is it…"

As Bankotsu's eyes slowly began to close, the specks that flew off the Banryu engulfed him. The blood that covered his kimono began to disappear "…My Wounds… are healing?"

Bankotsu rose, and lifted down part of his now clean Kimono to see the wounds disappear "…Banryu's Divine Light must have Healed me…"

He stared at his newly formed Companion, and lifted it up "…well Banryu, I believe that, that was your Thirty-First demon, right?" he patted Banryu for its accomplishment. His smirk left his face as he heard footsteps. When he turned his eyes to the left he noticed the remaining villagers headed his way with all sorts of weapons.

"You! You're the boy from 12 years ago, that demon child!" an older man pointed. A fatter one yelled "If you don't leave we'll kill you!!"

Bankotsu turned his entire head from Banryu to the Villagers indifferently. He gave them a sigh, and shook his head "Well, your ungrateful ones aren't you. If you want to fight me I won't spare your lives…" he gave them a daring smirk, and pointed his blade to the villagers "…I'll use every last one of you as food for my Banryu" he jumped up with Banryu falling towards the villagers, smiling at the fear on their faces.

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Mitaru arrived at the village and fell to her knees. Every villager was dead, slain on the floor. Others were burned and bitten in half and others were cut into pieces. She remembered Izomaru's last words, as he begged her to protect the villagers. She rose and headed towards a figure standing in the shadows; in fear of who she thought it was. The figure held a giant halberd on his shoulders. She stopped when she was close enough to see the figure in full.

"Twenty-seven…" the figure spoke without any remorse. "Ban…kotsu…?" she almost gasped out the words in disbelief, and pain. He turned his head to see her "Huh?…" his body slowly turned towards her "…If it makes you feel any better a demon killed most of them"

"Yes…" she spoke still in a whisper"…a demon that you unleashed,"

"I'm not sorry for it, they were pathetic fools" the wind blew his long braid and his bangs blew over his face.

"You have become something….that I can no longer relate too"

He took a step closer to her, human blood on his armor. "What the hell are you talking about?! I only became stronger like you told me!"

"You…murdered these villagers, I never told you to do this!!!" she motioned towards the corpses, her voice now in a panicked yell. He smiled at her "They deserved to die…"

Mitaru's eyes widened when she heard her sons words, and stared into her son's eyes.

"…I don't know why you decided to protect them for all these years, but I did something you couldn't do. I got are revenge on them," Bankotsu smiled "…actually…you should thank me,"

She shook her head "You are such a child!!! You do not understand the simplest of things; you should have showed them compassion!!!"

"I have no desire to waste my life protecting the weak!!! All I care about is becoming strong, for myself…" he placed Banryu back in his sheath "…I have no intentions of wasting my life the way you did"

"Then you choose to go down your own path. I will not endure the sight of more blood spilt for your search of power."

He stared at his mother, knowing that this might be their last meeting. His mark began to emit a light the way it had done when he was a baby. Somehow Bankotsu felt it and placed his forefinger to his head "What the hell?" he looked up wide eyed slightly confused. Mitaru looked at her son, the same confusion on her face "Your divine mark…it's the mark that connects mother and child" she stared at the purple cross. "_Strange that it would glow more then once in his lifetime…" _She thought to herself. She walked over to her son, and as if knowing what she intended to do, he lifted his head down slightly "So what does it mean…"

"You needn't worry right now…" her voice was still stern "…just relax."

She placed her forefinger on his Cross. Both their eyes closed almost simultaneously, and again flashes went through Mitaru's head. She released her hand slightly panting, but quickly stopped. He looked at his mother, and held his hand to his head a little dizzy from the experience "what happened? I think I blanked out for a minute"

"…Your Divine Mark connects us together" she spoke softly as if in thought "…so when it glows it allows me to see parts of your future"

"Really, so you know everything that will happen huh?"

She shook her head "no… it's more like the over all picture, flashes" her voice was small, and she almost brushed off his question.

"So then what did you see?"

She waited a few seconds and stared into her sons eyes in disbelief"…your death…"

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Bankotsu walked through an empty field of grass, the sun blazed down on his back. He had been walking since last night. He held his hands behind his head, and looked at the sky as a few birds flew by. A sigh escaped his lips as he remembered his last conversation he had with his mother…

"_So what did you see?"She waited a few seconds and stared into her sons eyes in disbelief"…your death…" the wind blew both their hair for a moment. She took a step closer to Bankotsu, and spoke to him in a low serious voice "…soon, very soon you will meet your fate very violently, but before your death you will be the cause of many deaths…" _

_She grabbed her son's arms desperately "…If you have not listened to me about anything before, you must listen to me now!!! You have a choice. You could stop all these thoughts you have of killing and of power and in turn live a long life…" _

_He smiled at her smugly "…what's the second?"_

"_To go down the path that you're going now. and allow your vanity and ego be the cause of your untimely death." _

_He stared at his mother who was almost in tears. "please Bankotsu…" she continued "…stay here with me and renounce your foolish thoughts of power,"…………………………_

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"_That all just happened last night" _he thought_. _Bankotsu stopped walking, and looked as a path appeared "…a village must be ahead…"

He started down the path at a slow pace, unsure and uncaring about his destination. He stopped as a sound caught his ear. He turned around to see what appeared to be a woman running far behind him down the road. He placed his hand above his eyes to see better "…what the hell…" he blinked. The woman continued to run straight towards Bankotsu, without any intention of stopping. His eyes widened in shock, and he quickly placed his hands up in an attempt to motion for the woman to stop "Hey! Hold up!"

But the women continued in her unchanging pace, and nearly knocked Bankotsu down. He caught himself before he fell to the ground, and looked at the running woman annoyed "Hey! Watch were you're going!!!"

The woman turned back, and waved her hand while running "oops, Sorry about that"

The woman carried a strange weapon, and wore a violet kimono with green lilies. Bankotsu blinked confused at the sight"…was…was… that a man?"

Suddenly, a large number of samurai rode past him on horses. This time successfully knocking him over, yelling "MOVE, BRAT!!!"

Bankotsu stared at the scene in front of him while sitting on the floor. He blinked again at the strange situation "What the hell is that all about?" he asked himself "only one way to find out I guess" he smirked as he rose, and continued down the path that would lead him down towards the castle.


	6. Bankotsu: The Meeting

**Bankotsu: The Meeting**

Bankotsu walked down the path following the commotion. He needed to take his mind off the previous events, and this looked like the perfect type of distraction.

Half way down the path he saw the 'woman', surrounded by the samurai. A large smile was on the culprit's face, as a strange curved sword was pointed towards the samurai. Bankotsu stared curiously from a distance, and gave a blink. "So she is a he?" he walked over to the group, very interested in seeing this confrontation.

"You disgusting fool of a demon, you killed our men for the last time. In honor of our lord and castle you will die today," the apparent general held out his large samurai sword towards the accused man and held his horse's reigns with the other.

"You're the only fools here" the woman like man yelled, "I've already told you I'm not a demon!"

"Silence!!" the general yelled.

Bankotsu stopped behind the group his hand ready to unsheathe his Banryu if need be. Some of the samurai turned towards him "hey you're that brat from earlier" one yelled.

Another pointed his blade in Bankotsu's direction, "Mind your own business kid, and leave before we kill you too"

Bankotsu gave a bored smirk, "what, is that a threat?" he started to laugh when he realized that the samurais were serious. One of the stronger looking ones gritted his teeth in anger, "That's it you little brat!!" he ran towards him with his sword. Bankotsu gently moved to the side, and easily cracked the man's neck. Bankotsu looked down as the man's body fell to the floor. "How pathetic" he shrugged.

The general turned to look at Bankotsu, "How dare you! Why do you protect this demon?"

Bankotsu unsheathed Banryu and looked at the large general, "I'm not…" he answered, "…and besides that man isn't a demon he's a human…he's strange but he's a human, none the less"

"Silence! He's the demon of the forest who has been killing our soldiers" the general motioned to the cross dresser.

"Man you're stupid huh?…" Bankotsu sighed quickly loosing interest with this conversation, "…if he was a powerful demon, wouldn't he have killed you by now?"

The Samurai grew angry and aimed his sword over at Bankotsu, "You ignorant brat I have heard enough of you. I'll kill you first for interfering with us"

Bankotsu smiled, anxious to slice the general's head off., but before Bankotsu had a chance to move the other samurai that surrounded the cross dresser let out screams. Bankotsu looked to see the samurai's bodies in pieces on the floor. Bankotsu's eyes turned to the cause, and saw the cross dresser pulling back his bloody sword.

"How the hell did he do that with out moving?" Bankotsu spoke to himself loudly, his eyes large in shock. Bankotsu rubbed the back of his head confused, "…Maybe he is a demon."

The general let out a yell of anger, and charged at Bankotsu who effortlessly jumped up and sliced off his head, "Twenty-eight" he smiled.

Bankotsu landed, and stared at the circle of corpses. The feminine man standing cleanly in the middle. The strange man ran over to Bankotsu, who had already started walking down the path again. The man's eyes grew wide as he yelled to Bankotsu, "Hey? Where are you going?"

Bankotsu looked over to the man "Down the path, why?"

The man awkwardly speeded towards the younger warrior "Well, you kind of helped me out back there"

"Well by the looks of it you really didn't need my help" Bankotsu stopped walking when he noticed that the strange man was panting in his attempt to catch up to him.

"Well, there was a lot of them there…" the man smiled, "…you never know what could of happened" he grinned happily at Bankotsu with his eyes closed. When he opened them he noticed that Bankotsu was walking off again. "Hey hold up…", he rushed back to Bankotsu's side, "…are you at least gonna tell me your name?"

Bankotsu stared at the smiling man and gave a defeated smirk, "Bankotsu"

The man smiled and clasped his hands together, "WOW! That rhymes with mine; it's Jakotsu by the way"

They continued down the path together, and Jakotsu had a large smile on his face. Bankotsu found this amusing, and smirked. Bankotsu had been upset after the events with his mother, and was just happy to have some company on his journey.

____________________________

"Wow, so after you kill all those guys you're gonna have a really strong demon sword huh? That's really amazing Bankotsu" Jakotsu looked on amazed at Banryu. After their little adventure they managed to find an abandoned tea house and took shelter there for the night. They lit a small fire and had begun in their conversation. "It's gonna take you a while though I bet"

Bankotsu kind of nodded and placed Banryu against the wall again, "Yeah I guess it will"

Jakotsu smiled at an idea, "I know why don't you go to war and kill the 1000 humans that way"

Bankotsu shook his head, "No way. I'm not gonna take any orders from a stupid samurai…" he turned to Jakotsu, "Say Jakotsu how did you kill all those samurai with out moving, anyway"

Jakotsu took his eyes off Banryu and smiled showing off his own weapon, "Oh, it's my sword"

"Yeah,? So what kind of demon magic did you use?"

Jakotsu blinked and stared at the shorter man, "Demon magic? I'm not a demon. My sword has different blades attached to it. So I can pull it back and forth without moving" Jakotsu pulled one of the blades up to show Bankotsu, "…see?"

"Oh…" he shifted his head to the side for a better look at the sword, "…That's pretty neat Jakotsu"

Bankotsu smiled after a thought entered his head, "So, you weren't the one who had been killing off the samurai then?"

Jakotsu shook his head, "Nu-uh"

"Do you know where this demon is?"

"I think they said he was deep in the forest or something…" he kicked off his shoes and looked at his new friend, "…why, you planning on killing him?"

"Of course, in the morning I'm heading off to find him and use him to strengthen my Banryu"

"Good idea" he fisted his hand in agreement, "…say Bankotsu do you mind if I tag along too?"

Bankotsu looked at Jakotsu confused, "Yeah? Why do you want to come with me?"

Jakotsu took off his sword and laid down staring at the sky through a large hole in the roof, "Well, I've been traveling on my own for awhile. I've been looking for really good looking men, and every time I find one I want to kill him" he turned and looked at Bankotsu who was leaning against the wall with his hands on his knees, "you must think I'm pretty weird huh?" Jakotsu smiled with his head slightly turned.

"Yeah you are…" Bankotsu answered uncaringly and looked over to Jakotsu, who gave an awkward smile. Bankotsu continued "…But we're all a little weird if you think about it. You just don't hide it like everyone else does"

Happiness filled Jakotsu's face at Bankotsu's words, and he turned over on his back again "Thanks Bankotsu…But you're different, you're attractive and I don't want to kill you"

"You say that like it's a bad thing…"

"Not at all, you're like, like, like my big brother or something…" he sat up when he said that, "…Yeah, Bankotsu you're my big brother, that's why I want to travel with you"

Bankotsu smiled back curiously, "really?…Well I suppose you can come with me. It gets kinda boring going alone" he scratched his chin as he spoke.

Jakotsu stared at the mark on Bankotsu's head, "Hey Bankotsu, by the way, what's that on your head" he pointed at the cross. Bankotsu looked up touching his cross subconsciously, "oh that, it's my divine mark, why?"

Jakotsu's eye glittered "Can I have one?"

"You want one like mine?"

"No of course not, but since we're brothers I should have a mark too. Don't ya think?"

Bankotsu stood up with his hands crossed firmly, "okay then, but I need some stuff first"

Jakotsu placed his sandals back on, "stuff?"___________________________________

When the two 'brothers' were by the pond Bankotsu began to crush leaves and other herbs into a small bowl, "My mother told me that our people would make this permanent paint and mark it on the warriors after each victory"

Jakotsu's eyes stayed focused on Bankotsu's movements, "That's pretty neat big brother"

"So lets see…" Bankotsu mumbled to himself, staring at Jakotsu's face.

"See what?" he asked confused.

Bankotsu smiled, "…see what color we should use" he picked up a handful of water and placed it in the bowl, he looked around and saw a beautiful dark blue flower and picked it up, crushing it into the mix "…blue seems nice"

Jakotsu stared at the green mush in the bowl "Yeah, that doesn't look like blue"

Bankotsu stared at the bowl confused, "I don't get it, when mom did it, it started to glow the color she chose. I must have done something wrong"

Jakotsu sighed and fell down next to Bankotsu, "That's okay I don't need a Divine Mark"

Bankotsu lifted his head back up, "A divine mark? That's right, she added her divine powers to the mix"

"Oh and you're mortal, well that's lame…oh well"

"Hold up a sec," he ripped of his right shoulder armor and cracked off a piece, "…my mother placed her divine powers into this armor, so it might work" he cracked a piece of it off using Banryu and let it fall into the mix. Suddenly, the mix began to glow the same blue of the flower he had chosen.

"Your mom must have placed a lot of energy in your armor huh?" Jakotsu asked, while staring awe struck at the mixture. Bankotsu looked slightly sad for a moment as he remembered his mother, "yeah, she did" he looked back at Jakotsu, shaking off this feeling, "…okay, you ready?"

"Yeah, but what do I do "

He leaned over Jakotsu, and ripped off a strand of his hair. "OWWW" Jakotsu yelled, rubbing the spot where his hair strand had left him.

"Stop being a baby Jakotsu. It's so the paint doesn't stain anyone but you"

"Oh so if you touch it after it won't stain your hands"

He nodded, "exactly, now hold still"___________________________________

Jakotsu stared into the river at his reflection and saw the two blue marks running under both of his eyes. They were the same color as the flower Bankotsu had chosen. Jakotsu's eyes widened as he touched his cheeks.

"Well Jakotsu, what do you think about your divine marks?" Bankotsu smiled, pride in his face. Jakotsu turned, and looked at Bankotsu, "I love them, thank you big brother!!!"

"Not a problem," he put both hands behind his head and headed off. Jakotsu stood up and followed, "Say, Bankotsu what do you think the demons gonna be like?"

"Well, if it's like any demon I've seen probably loud and obnoxious"

"No I mean do you think he'll be attractive or not?"

Bankotsu looked at him confused before he smiled and looked back ahead, "I don't know. it's possible I guess, but you better hope not because I'm the one whose gonna kill it"

Jakotsu sighed, "I guess so, but I want to kill some demons too, okay Bankotsu?"

Bankotsu faced Jakotsu, and gave him a large grin, "Don't worry about it Jakotsu. There's gonna be more then enough demons were gonna get to kill"

They both started to laugh and walked back to the abandoned tea house getting ready to rest for their morning trip in search of the demon of the forest.

Bankotsu stared at Jakotsu who was talking about nothing, as he tends to do. "…_I was starting to get kinda lonely…" _Bankotsu thought to himself _"…but…I think I'll be okay now…"_


	7. Bankotsu: The Armor and The Mist

**Bankotsu: The Armor and The Mist**

"Jakotsu hurry up, I want to find the demon before lunch"

Jakotsu came out of the tea house "lunch…" he yawned "…we haven't even had breakfast yet" an apple went flying towards Jakotsu, who caught it with his hand "oh, thanks Bankotsu"

Bankotsu looked over his shoulder at Jakotsu "okay are you all set now" he held Banryu on his shoulder.

"Yep, ready when you are"

The two brothers continued over to the forest, not sure where they were going. "Umm Bankotsu I was thinking, there's a lot of demon's so how are we going to know where the demon is?"

Bankotsu stopped walking and scratched his head "you know, I don't know"

He started to walk again. Jakotsu sighed, and continued "Oh well, if you don't care I guess I shouldn't either"

They headed into the forest and began walking for about an hour and had no sign of any demon. Suddenly Bankotsu froze in his steps. "Hey Bankotsu, why'd we stop?" Jakotsu walked over to where Bankotsu stood, and stared at the group of samurai corpses scattered on the floor, blood was spilt everywhere. "The demon of the forest did this I'm guessing" Bankotsu answered, looking up at his friend. Jakotsu knelt down to see the faces of the men better "well, they said the demon was killing the samurai"

Bankotsu walked over the corpses "Yeah, we're getting close"

After a few more minutes of walking their vision started to cloud

"A fog?" Jakotsu scratched his head confused. Bankotsu smiled at Jakotsu "take a guess at whose making it," He pulled Banryu in front of him. Jakotsu went back to back with Bankotsu taking out his snake sword.

"Who are you?" a deep voice emanated all around the two.

"A voice? Did it come from the fog?" Jakotsu looked around for the cause, but due to the mist he couldn't see anything.

"It's probably the demon" Bankotsu smiled tightening his grip on Banryu.

"I'll ask you again, who are you? Are you Demon Slayers?"

"No, I'm not a demon slayer. I heard there was a strong demon killing the castles samurai. I assume that's you."

"The humans?" the demon answered annoyed "…Yes, they were trespassing on my domain. When they refused to leave I killed them."

"So you are the demon we're searching for, show yourself then, so I can kill you."

The demon gave a chuckle "You? A mere human kid, defeat me? You mustn't be very smart coming here to avenge their deaths nearly all alone."

Bankotsu shook his head slightly annoyed "I'm not here to avenge anyone, only to kill the supposedly strong demon of the forest, and by the looks of you I don't need anyone's help to destroy you. Now hurry and show yourself I don't have all day to waste on you." he lifted Banryu with one hand pointing it towards the fog. Jakotsu blinked a Bankotsu's comment "…By the looks of you? But Bankotsu you can't even see him"

Bankotsu rolled his eyes at his friends comment "Yeah, I know that. I'm trying to sound cocky. It always pisses off demons" he spoke as if it was obvious, and Jakotsu nodded, realizing how stupid he had been for not realizing his brothers genius.

During their conversation, a large brown demon hand, with large claws, slammed down towards Jakotsu and Bankotsu. The two jumped back out of the way just in time. The Hand disappeared back into the fog.

"Bankotsu this is the demon?! He's huge"

"Yeah," Bankotsu looked around trying to see through the fog "_Dammit… how the hell can I kill him if I can't even see him._" he thought angrily.

"Let me give it a try Bankotsu" he held out his snake sword and lashed it around through the fog. It slammed over to Bankotsu almost hitting him; he held out Banryu and blocked it "JAKOTSU!" he yelled in protest.

"Oops sorry Big brother" he pulled his sword off Banryu "Let me try it again." he cocked back his arm ready for another try."NO!!!" Bankotsu yelled.

Jakotsu blinked "why not?"

"You can't see where you're aiming because of the fog. You'll just probably end up slicing me up."

The claw appeared again almost slamming Bankotsu; he jumped back and then jumped back to the hand trying to cut it. When he approached a gust of the fog slammed him back into the tree. He fell back and rose to his knee wiping of some blood from his mouth

"_This fog is like some kind of strong wind, and he's controlling it, I just got to figure out how to counter it."_ He looked on angrily at the scene. Jakotsu ran over to Bankotsu. "What do we do now Bankotsu?" he asked ready for orders. He turned to Jakotsu "what do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Well we can't even see the demon, so how do we attack it."

"Fools…" the demon started "…you can't defeat me, if you leave now I'll spare your lives"

Bankotsu smiled still on his knees "You think I'm scared just because you can control a little fog, why don't you come out of there and fight me for real"

"Sorry if I don't acquiesce to your demands," the hand appeared again and Jakotsu jumped out of the way. Bankotsu rose holding Banryu up ready to slice the demons hand off, but The hand disappeared into the fog before Bankotsu had a chance to make contact.

"It's gone" Bankotsu stared at where the hand had just been.

"BANKOTSU, BEHIND YOU!!!" Jakotsu yelled out. Bankotsu turned his head to see the large demon hand coming from behind him. In a flash the demon hand grabbed him piercing him with his claws. Bankotsu let out a scream and the two disappeared into the fog.

Two red eyes pierced through the fog and stared at Bankotsu "From here you appear to be human, and yet you haven't been squeezed to your death by my claws. That is very interesting" the demon looked at Bankotsu in thought, and squeezed harder causing Bankotsu to give another scream of pain.

____________________________

Jakotsu was lost in the fog, desperately looking for his big brother. He was walking blindly to the point where he held his hands in front of him as if he truly was blind. He stopped when he heard a loud cry not to far from the distance.

"That's Bankotsu," he yelled. Jakotsu followed the screams into the fog, now knowing his direction.

________________________

"I warned you to leave but now I will slowly squeeze you to death." The demon taunted.

"_Dammit… if I can only see where the fog is coming from_" Bankotsu thought before he let out another roar of pain, as the demon gave another squeeze. Bankotsu looked around, and noticed what appeared to be a large water pot with fog emanating out of it.

His eyes slightly widened "_I get it now he cast a spell to make this fog. If I can destroy the pot I can go for this stupid demons neck…"_ Bankotsu wormed his arm free, and threw his halberd to the pot in hopes of destroying it. The demon noticed and the pot shot out a large air blast of the fog and the Banryu landed in the ground.

"Nice Try" the demon scoffed. Bankotsu's eyes slanted down angry and he gritted his teeth. He hated having to feel so helpless, especially since he knew that killing this demon would have been easy if it wasn't for that stupid pot (ha-ha that just sounded funny. Okay back to the story). He started to try to squirm out of the demons hand unsuccessfully, and yelled out in frustration "Dammit!!"

A loud crack was heard and the fog slowly began to disappear. Bankotsu looked to the pot, and saw Jakotsu, who was pulling back his snake sword from the now destroyed pot.

"Jakotsu…" he worded out. He looked at his friend, and smiled. The demon was now in worry, and worst of all he was visible "You fool… I'll destroy you too" he yelled, at Jakotsu. The demon was very large brown bull looking demon. He wore armor and had two large horns. Bankotsu took advantage of the demons temporary distraction and successfully loosened out of the demons grip. He landed on the ground next to Banryu and stared at the demon. Bankotsu grabbed his halberd from the ground and turned to Jakotsu "thanks Jakotsu, I owe you one…"

Jakotsu smiled back with his sword on his back "Don't mention it Bankotsu"

"Now, to take care of the demon…" Bankotsu pointed his sword to the demon "what's wrong you're not looking so confident anymore" he asked with a mocking tone of curiosity. The demon growled angrily at Bankotsu a bead of sweat running down the bull's face.

"Maybe" Bankotsu started, with a smug smirk "… it's because we took down that shield of yours"

"I, scared of a weak human like you, hardly. I don't know how you withstood the pressure of my claws, but I'll just have to tear both of you apart with my horns instead."

The demon rammed over to the two and Bankotsu jumped in the air dodging his attack.

"_He's right"_ Bankotsu thought while in midair "_…how come I wasn't squeezed to death…_" His face grew serious as he stared at the demon, who looked up to see Bankotsu falling down with Banryu drawn. The furious demon charged over to the falling Bankotsu, and they both flew passed one another.

Jakotsu stared at the scene with a little worry "Did he get him?"

When Bankotsu landed the demon landed right behind him. Both of them were back to back\ for a brief second. Bankotsu opened his eyes, and smiled as the demon's head slid off and fell to the floor, his body soon followed, dead.

"_I get it my mother's divine powers protect me…"_ his thought had distracted from his recent victory, and he found himself engulfed by the memories…………..

__________________________________

_Mitaru stared at her son, looking a little weak "Do you like it?" _

_He smiled at his mother staring down at his newly applied armor "Yeah, it fits great"_

_She smiled at him "It looks good on you"_

_He looked up from his armor, and saw his mother weakly fall back the ground. He ran over and caught her before she made impact "Mom, you okay? What's wrong?" he asked worried. She smiled and placed her hand to her chest, "That armor I made you is very special, in it is my own divine energy, as long as you wear it I will always be there to protect you."_

_He gave her a sad smile "Yeah, but your divine powers weakened you can barely stand now," she looked up still in her sons arms "do not worry my son. My powers will soon return to me, I am a divine being"_

_"Yeah I know, but your strength won't completely return will it?" she looked at her son who seemed both sad and confused. His mother had placed her own Divine Light into her sons armor, but at what cost to his mother? "Don't worry yourself…" Mitaru smiled kindly at her son, knowing what it was she was thinking "…I willingly gave this to you so I would be able to protect you…" she placed her hand gently to his cheek "…You are my only son and the only one I have left in this world, I gave you this gift for that reason, because you are very dear to me and I wish you to be safe, even if I lose some of my own strength in the process." _

_He looked to his mother and smiled "Thanks for it, I'll gladly wear it" _

_She closed her eyes and smiled turning her head to look up "hmmm… I'm just happy you like it."_

_"Yeah, but right now lets get you to bed to rest, you're completely wiped out" he helped lift up his mother, and wrapped her arm around his neck. She leaned on him and they both walked to her room._

__________________________________

"The only reason I'm not dead is because of this armor…" he felt it and smiled. He was both glad, but angry that he had to rely on his mothers strength. Jakotsu ran over to him excitedly "Nice shot are you okay though?"

He turned his head to look Jakotsu, taking a break from his thoughts "Yeah, better then he is anyway…" he looked at the dead demon then back to Jakotsu "…I really owe you for back there Jakotsu, how'd you find me through the fog?"

Jakotsu smiled "I heard you screaming like a little baby" Jakotsu pouted his lips, mocking his shorter friend. Bankotsu gave an annoyed grimace "Yeah well, that wasn't me".

Jakotsu started to walk off, continuing in his game "It sounded like you"

Bankotsu picked up Banryu and followed Jakotsu defensively "I don't scream, okay? It was probably the demon you heard."

Jakotsu shook his head "…nope, it sounded like a little kid not a demon" he gave a chuckle which grew to a laugh. Bankotsu tried to fight his smile but ended up joining in with the laughter, anyway.

________________________________

They walked down a road headed to the west they were traveling all day since their battle had finished. It was almost Night time and the sun was setting. "So big brother, where are we headed now?"

"I don't know yet, wherever the road takes us I guess."

'But its sooo long though, why don't we stop at the next village for a rest or at least something to eat. After that fight you must be hungry too,"

Bankotsu's stomach growled. He looked at the sound, and then back towards Jakotsu "Sure, if you're hungry I guess we can get some food at the next village. I you really want too"

Jakotsu stared at him annoyed "_He makes it sound like he's doing me a favor"_

Bankotsu gave a happy smile as he looked up at the colorful red and purple sky with his big blue eyes "…and besides, they might have a lead about a nearby demon or something,"

"Don't forget to save some for me too though okay."

Bankotsu turned his attention to the road, he was getting used to Jakotsu's pleas "Don't worry Jakotsu, I'll remember"

Jakotsu looked down as they got to a hill, "Hey look it's a village Bankotsu!"

Bankotsu nodded "Yeah I see it, that's convenient, huh?"

Jakotsu smiled with sparkling eyes "Let's attack it and take all the food"

Bankotsu shook his head "calm yourself Jakotsu; remember we need that village to find out about nearby demons"

Jakotsu sighed with a twinge of annoyance in his voice "Yeah, I guess I forgot about that part"

He patted Jakotsu's back, catching his friends disappointment "cheer up Jakotsu, they'll be plenty of other victims"

Jakotsu smiled and nodded "Yeah, and I'd rather not fight on an empty stomach" he held his stomach in hunger. Bankotsu started down the hill "Well let's hurry up then"

Jakotsu smiled and began to run towards the village "Right, let's go then"

Bankotsu looked at the awkwardly running Jakotsu, and shook his head. He quickened his pace to match his friends as they headed towards the village.


	8. Bankotsu: In The Shadows

**Bankotsu: In The Shadows**

"A demon?" Bankotsu stared at the old man who was stirring a pot. "Yes, a demon has been plaguing this country side for a short while now, we can't even go through the wetlands to go to the other town, and it's been quite a problem"

Bankotsu leaned forward interested "Is that why everyone is hiding inside their houses?"

The old man nodded "yes, the demon has been abducting anyone who is alone at night, when we find them they are nothing but bones"

Jakotsu gladly grabbed a bowl of the old mans soup "So, how does he do that anyway?"

The old man looked outside with a serious expression on his face "When the sun goes down here, so does the light"

Bankotsu sighed as Jakotsu fanned his tongue with his hand, whimpering because of the soups hat. "What do you mean so does the light?" Bankotsu asked.

"Are village is engulfed in darkness and anyone who strays away from the light will engulfed by it"

Bankotsu stared at the mans small house, torches and lanterns were hung everywhere, he blinked "Oh, so that explains the lights"

"That is why I ushered you inside so quickly, not even travelers are safe when the sun goes down"

Bankotsu took the next bowl and Jakotsu refilled his while talking to the old man "Yeah, but the sun hasn't gone down all the way"

Bankotsu looked up from his bowl to see an middle aged panting in the doorway. She seemed distressed as she spoke "Have…have you seen my daughter, elder…?"

The old man's eyes grew wide "You mean Karien has not returned yet?"

The mother started to shake her head tears forming in her eyes "No, and…the sun is about to set"

The elder put his hand around her back "It is okay, Karien will be home soon, she knows as well as anyone the dangers of the outside"

Bankotsu finished the last drink of his soup, and placed the bowl down with his eyes closed uncaring "Even if she does know about the outside dangers, she's still no match for the demon"

Jakotsu nodded with a smile 'She might already be dead"

The mother started to cry even harder into the elders shoulder. He looked at the two brothers as he spoke "No while the sun is still up she's still alive" The elder patted the tear stricken mothers back. Bankotsu looked away after seeing the mother's tears. An image of his mother flashed in his head and he rose with Banryu "If she might still alive then the two of us will go look for her"

Jakotsu nodded while Bankotsu talked, then opened his eyes and stared at Bankotsu after just realizing what Bankotsu had just said. "WAIT A SEC BANKOTSU!"

Bankotsu looked back at Jakotsu who was still on the floor "What is it?"

"Do you really want to put your life in danger for some…(he makes a scrunched up face here)… girl?"

"We owe them for taking us in, and telling us about the demon"

Jakotsu crossed his arms and looked away "Do what you want but I'm not gonna go get killed for the sake of some woman."

Bankotsu headed towards the door. Jakotsu opened one eye and looked at Bankotsu. He shook his head and rose "Hold up Bankotsu, I'm not gonna let you leave and end up getting killed on your own"

The woman smiled with tears still in her eyes "Thank you, Thank both of you so much." she bowed her head towards the two. The old man bowed as well "Thank you both, just you be warned. The sun will go down in less then two hours" he reached over to the wall and gave Jakotsu a torch "Keep this for protection"

"Yeah, thanks old man" he spoke, not fully believing the torch could protect him.

___________________________________

Jakotsu walked behind Bankotsu still annoyed "What's the real reason you wanted to go Bankotsu?"

They were inside the forest now, and the sun had gone down a little more. The forest was deep, and there was no sign of the girl called Karien.

"What do you mean Real reason?" he asked. Jakotsu walked in front of Bankotsu, still walking "Are you sure you didn't go JUST to find this young girl?"

Bankotsu gave a small chuckle "What ? don't tell me you really think that's why. Is that why you're getting so upset?"

"Look big brother, I'm not gonna want to have some woman traveling with us, okay" he spoke quite serious, and this made Bankotsu smile. He shook his head "Come on Jakotsu, I'm not interested in anything like that, I just wanted a chance to see the demon"

Jakotsu gave his big brother a hard look, still not satisfied with his answer "Yeah, as if I can believe that"

Bankotsu stopped walking and put his hand out to stop Jakotsu from walking. He whispered "Do you hear something?"

"Like what?"

Bankotsu shushed him and listened as a small rustling was heard. Bankotsu and Jakotsu stared at a bush that was rustling they looked closer at the bush with both of their hands on their swords handle. Suddenly, something jumped out of the bush and the two of them leaped forward towards it. They both stopped half way and fell down as a rabbit hopped in front of them and wiggled his nose. They both stared blankly for a moment until Bankotsu threw a rock towards the animal, who hopped off unharmed, "STUPID RABBIT?"

"Hello…hello is someone there?" the voice was of a girl it sounded small and slightly in pain. Bankotsu ran over to the voice and found a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen. She had big brown eyes, a small nose with some freckles above it, and wore a simple maroon kimono. Her black hair started shoulder length but went down to her mid back. The girl's bangs were parted on the left side of her face and evenly cut. She also had on a blue bandanna on the back of her head.

Bankotsu blinked, he did find her quite attractive, and he hadn't seen many girls his age before. She stared at him with her brown eyes and blinked as well. She was on her knees, her ankle was bloody and apparently in pain "Excuse me sir…but are you here to save me?" her voice was small and frightened. Bankotsu walked over to her smiling indifferently "That depends are you Karien?"

She nodded "Yes, Yes I am"

Bankotsu leaned over to her and lifted her up. She winced a little and fell into him "Thank you, but we have to hurry before the sun goes down"

Jakotsu came through the bushes "Bankotsu Are you…" he rolled his eyes and sighed looking to his left away from Karien "…So your that missing woman I'm guessing"

Karien nodded slightly confused at the strange looking Jakotsu "Yes, that's me"

Jakotsu acted as if he didn't hear her "Let's go Bankotsu the sun's gonna go down in a little bit"

He nodded "Yeah… Hey Jakotsu, why don't you carry Karien?"

Jakotsu fisted his hands at this comment "LIKE HELL I WILL"

She shook her head "No, Bankotsu…is it?" She smiled her hand still on his shoulder. He nodded for her to continue "Yeah"

"I'd be much more comfortable if I was with you"

He looked at her wide eyed and confused. He then looked at the annoyed Jakotsu and back to Karien smiling, his eyes closed "Don't worry, Jakotsu might be a little weird but he's a good guy"

"No, it's just that I wouldn't want to put him in an uncomfortable situation"

Jakotsu gave a small humph and folded his arms.

She smiled and gave a blush "Besides I'd rather be with a…stronger more reliable guy."

Bankotsu started to laugh "Yeah well I can't blame you for that"

Jakotsu sighed annoyed. Bankotsu might have been to innocent to realize it, but that women had just made a pass at Bankotsu. Why had his brother insisted on going? How much longer would he have to deal with this insufferable girl? "…Okay, if the two of you had had enough, the torch is almost out and the Suns almost down, so let's go"

Bankotsu looked back at his friend "Yeah, calm down Jakotsu" he turned to the girl "…climb on Karien"

Karien climbed on his back "Okay I'm ready Bankotsu"

They began to run back towards the village the sun was just about gone. "Thank you so much Bankotsu , I was fetching the water this afternoon and on my way back to the village I fell over an overgrown tree branch cut my leg and twisted my ankle"

He looked up at Karien as he ran "I'm surprised no one came to look for you, especially considering the whole demon situation"

"Truthfully, I usually stay away from the village for a while; they probably weren't worried until it got really late".

"Your ankle any better? "

She shook her head "No, it's still in pain, but not as bad as before I suppose"

Jakotsu stared as the sun began to leave their sight. While he was watching he ran into a bush and fell dropping the torch "oh great!" he yelled as he turned towards the others "…Bankotsu look the sun went down!"

Bankotsu stopped and stared at the normal looking night sky . He blinked as he set Karien down on a rock gently "Yeah, but it's not dark or nothing like the old man was talking about"

Jakotsu rose dusting off his knees "I guess we didn't need the torch after all" he kicked the remainder of the torch off into the forest. Karien shook her head in a panic, and pulled on Bankotsu's arm. "No, listen to me" The demon is awaking and that is when he'll attack!!!"

Bankotsu looked at Karien and smirked "Really, then where is he?" he looked around as if the demon was a few feet away. She pulled his sleeve anxiously "Bankotsu, He'll be here soon. We have to head back to the village"

Jakotsu gasped and took a stance back "Bankotsu, what is that?"

Bankotsu looked behind him to see a shadow start to engulf the forest. Everything it touched was eclipsed in complete darkness "Damn, I should have probably picked a better time to go looking for that demon."

Karien gasped and turned to Bankotsu "That's the demon's shadow power, don't let it touch you or you'll be taken by the demon!!!"

Bankotsu lifted Karien back on his back and ran towards the village "Jakotsu!!!" he looked back to see Jakotsu trip on the torch he kicked a few moments ago.

"Forget about him…" Karien cried "…the shadow will engulf us if you try to help him"

Bankotsu ignored Karien's words, and ran towards Jakotsu helping him up "Jakotsu you okay?"

"Yeah Bankotsu, I'm sorry"

They started off towards the village the darkness close to their feet, if they slowed down for a moment they would certainly be engulfed.

"It's no use, we can't keep outrunning the darkness we're not even close to the village" Karien held her head down against Bankotsu's shoulder her voice was small and unhopeful.

"Shut up girl! Bankotsu is trying as best as he can to save us!"

Karien looked at Jakotsu slightly shocked and nodded.

Suddenly, Bankotsu stopped running as he noticed another wave of black coming from in front of them. Jakotsu stopped in a panic "Big brother what do we do?!"

Bankotsu gritted his teeth and slammed Banryu into the ground going on his knees "Stay behind me and hold on"

His bang's shrouded his face as they were surrounded in a perfect circle of black. Karien tightened her grip on Bankotsu and closed her eyes; Jakotsu saw and rolled his, while he grabbed hold of Bankotsu's arm. Bankotsu looked up at the black shadow and gave his famous smirk, while in thought _"Hmmm, this little adventure might not have been totally useless, if this demon is as strong as they says he is"_

The black shadow engulfed them in complete blackness. It was almost like they were in dry black water that was ripping them apart from one another. Bankotsu gritted his teeth as he tried to speak, and noticed he couldn't. He looked to his right and saw Jakotsu unconscious. He reached his hand out _"…Jakotsu…" _he worded out_. _He took hold of his neck trying to speak, and looked to the left _"…Karien…" _

The girl was floating away from him. He closed his eyes unable to breath, and felt as if someone was scratching at his face. He grew tired, and couldn't fight back. His eyes grew heavy, and he blanked out.

"…Water…?" he opened his eyes, as what felt like a drop of water fell on his face. He looked a little drowsy and felt a few scratches on his cheeks. He reached to feel for the scratch on his cheek, and noticed that his arms were tied by what looked like grey roots coming from the cave walls. The cave was dark and water was dripping from the ceiling, and hit him on the face again. He opened his eyes all the way looking at his surroundings and saw what looked like pods made from the roots around different people. Some were completely surrounded; others had only their heads showing. He pulled at the roots with his arms, but to no avail. "Dammit…" he mumbled. He placed his feet to the wall and pushed his body forward causing the roots to brake. He flew forward and landed on his face still a little weak. He rolled his eyes, and inadvertently looked around to see if anyone had seen his fall. When he looked up he saw Banryu and smiled. He reached for his halberd, pushing himself up.

He walked over to the people searching their faces for Jakotsu or the girl, if he happened to see her too. "Hey wake up; I'm looking for my friends…" none of the people opened their eyes. He started to shake a younger man and noticed he was in a deep sleep. He walked over to a different pod that was covered in the roots, but seemed more fragile and dried out. He gently cut it open with Banryu. "What the hell…?!" he spoke a little creeped out as a skeleton fell from the pod. "Who ever had them here was absorbing their bodies…These scratches were probably from those roots trying to take hold of me…So does that mean my armor protected me?"

He shook his head slightly annoyed "Humph…of course it does" his eyes grew a little wider as he realized the whole situation "…Then the others…"

His face grew angry as Bankotsu ran through the cave looking at the faces in the pods for his friends. He came to another room and saw, in between other victims Jakotsu and Karien. The roots were only up to their waist, and their arms were also tied. He ran to Jakotsu first and started claw at the roots with his fingers, but each impact scratched them making them bloody. He pulled out Banryu and tried to cut the roots off with Banryu but wasn't able too. "DAMMIT JAKOTSU WAKE UP!!!" he slapped his face, but there was no change. He then ran to Karien and went through the same process, unsuccessfully.

"Dammit…Why the hell isn't this working, the roots on me were easy enough to brake off" he gritted his teeth and started to punch on Karien's pod. "WAKE THE HELL UP!!!"

"They won't hear you, you do realize?"

Bankotsu looked away from the pod to see a young and beautiful man. He had long light blue hair and very white skin. He had no bangs just a long wave in the center off his head, And his eyes were grey, emotionless, and cold. His kimono was white and his bottoms were baggy and were abruptly stopped by gold and black boots. His top was also white with black armor, over it a gold stripe went across. One of his arms was sleeveless and He wore an almost kind of curled bracelet running up the arm. The other side was long sleeved, but was ripped on the bottom. A black dragon arm with three sharp claws pierced out of it, and on his forehead were two black stripes.

Bankotsu looked over his shoulders angrily "Are you the demon that did this to them?"

The demon looked up uncaring "Strange though…Somehow my roots were weakened by you, and weren't able to hold you under the shadow's spell"

He stopped examining the wall and looked at Bankotsu "I started to think you were a demon, but it seems that you're just a mortal. Tell me what your secret is?"

Bankotsu was now turned completely around with an angry look on his face "You didn't answer my question, are you the one who did this?"

The demon walked over to the opposite wall admiring the pods "Yes I suppose that I am"

His eyes were empty. Bankotsu charged over towards the demon with Banryu, but his Banryu didn't make any impact. He looked up surprised to see no one there.

"Calm down…" the demon stood behind Bankotsu "…there's no need for any rash behavior; you'll only damage the captive humans in here" he had a very deep and wise voice.

Bankotsu sighed and looked at the demon who was neatly standing behind him, he gained back some of his composure, still upset "You hurt my friends"

The demon faced Bankotsu "And what if I did? You don't appear to look as if your hands are free from any blood, not the way you rushed over to kill me"

"So what if they aren't, you made the mistake of messing with me, and I don't exactly take pity on any worthless demon" he held out Banryu and started his attack on the demon who dodged still remaining in close range.

"Messing with you, huh?" he turned his head towards the young warrior "Curious, I thought the reason you arrived here was to kill me. Was it not you who put them in danger, blame yourself for your friend's eminent death."

"Go to hell!!!" Bankotsu gave one last swing with Banryu, but it landed on the ground. The demon dodged it, and was right above the young warrior. With his dragon arm he slammed Bankotsu into the cave wall. Bankotsu fell to the floor, about to rise when the demon stood over him. "There is no point in keeping you alive, seeing as that I already have enough victims"

"Like I'm going to let you kill me" Bankotsu sneered.

The demon held up his normal hand and a similar dark shadow appeared over it. A beautifully crafted spear fell into his hands out of the darkness. It was black and crafted with gold lining. He pointed the spear to Bankotsu's neck. The demon swung the sword to Bankotsu, and stopped the spear a few inches away from his neck. He noticed that Bankotsu didn't even flinch "Interesting, you don't seem to be scared of dying like normal mortals, Why?"

Bankotsu's face remained calm "I'm not like them I don't fear anything"

The demon almost smirked "Except for losing your friends apparently. Tell me why are you here?"

Bankotsu gave a smirk "To kill you,"

The demon looked into Bankotsu's eyes "What motivates you?" he continued when Bankotsu gave no answer "…The answer is greed. Your own selfish desires is what brought you here. So in reality boy you are just like them"

Bankotsu's fists tightened "I don't need to be lectured by some demon, I'm nothing like mortal humans!"

"No?" he asked "…Your friends are in danger, and out of fear of being alone you're fighting for them. When you fought me you allowed your emotions to overwhelm you" he gave a small smirk "…That makes you too east to read. I can see your real motives, and that greed of yours will get you killed boy"

"What the hell do you know about me? If what you say is true then your no different. Aren't you feeding off these humans?"

Bankotsu stiffened up a little as the spear went closer to his neck. Then it was lifted away.

"Your lucky you interest me so much. I've decided to give you a chance to fight back evenly" a shadow appeared around the Banryu and guided the halberd next to Bankotsu. The demon took a few steps back "Your friends will die before the sunrises…"

Bankotsu turned to see the roots around his friends curl up a little. The demon continued "…If you are able to land a hit on me, I will remove the pods from your friends and allow you to leave freely"

Bankotsu rose "Well aren't you generous, but I'm afraid I'm gonna do more then just land one hit"

"we'll see. I am Tsumadaru of the night realm"

"I'm Bankotsu, not that you really need to remember, I'm gonna kill you before the end of the night anyway" he stared at Tsumadaru griping the giant halberd. The demon's face remained indifferent "Your attitude doesn't change does it?"

Bankotsu looked over to Jakotsu and then to Karien "_I'll get you out of there"_

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…**ohhhh I wonder what will happen next. Kay I hope you guys like the story. Thanks all of you guys who sent me comments they really brighten my day. I'll get up the next chapter soon.**

**And as always, Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	9. Bankotsu: The Similarity

**Bankotsu: The Similarity**

They began to fight. Well sort of, Bankotsu tried to land a hit, as Tsumadaru effortlessly moved out of the way. After about an hour of this Bankotsu was panting and Tsumadaru hadn't even broken a sweat. Banryu pointed towards the demon as Bankotsu spoke "Tsumadaru, right? Tell me, why do you have all of these bodies here? you don't seem like the kind of low life demon who would do this for fun"

Tsumadaru's eyes didn't change "In order for me to return to my former self I need the lives of 3000 humans. Over the years I've gotten more powerful, and have been able to now eclipse the village to trap even more bodies. After tonight I will finally have enough"

Bankotsu remembered the demon of the river "So what, were you sealed by some priest?"

"You seem to be under the impression that I am some weak demon"

"It appears that way, by the looks of you" he smiled trying to annoy the demon with little success, but none the less a blast of shadows came from the spear and headed towards Bankotsu. He moved out of the way, and tried to slash down on Tsumadaru, again missing. "Your moves are easily readable" the demon corrected. Bankotsu growled, angry with the speed of the demon. Tsumadaru gave a smirk "I am not a demon. Like you I am, or was a divine being"

"How did you know about me?" he asked confused. The demon motioned towards his cross "Your divine mark, mine is also here only blackened thanks to that curse"

Bankotsu looked at the black stripes on Tsumadaru's forehead "Because of my rash actions in my youth…" Tsumadaru began "…I was sent and sealed to this realm to live as a demon" his black dragon arm clenched.

"A curse huh? It doesn't sound too bad. You're not lacking any strength"

"No, but I am forced to live in the dark of night, my divine mark was burned and a demon arm replaced my old one as a reminder. Over the years it has grown more and more demonic. I suppose it's similar to your situation, you don't have any divine light either"

"My situation, as you call it, is not like yours…" Bankotsu growled "…I was not cast out. my people's home was destroyed, and unlike you I'm not a worthless demon"

"Oh forgive me" He spoke sarcastically "Your just a weak mortal then"

Bankotsu charged Tsumadaru, who easily landed to the side "…but Even if your people's lands weren't destroyed, and you were born with divine powers, you would still be the same, hungry for power"

Bankotsu caught his breath for a few seconds, and ran towards Tsumadaru again in a failed attempt."You were like I was at your age Bankotsu. You are filled with nothing but the desires of strength. You don't care who dies in your search for power…" Tsumadaru looked at Bankotsu "…I was rash, always filled with thoughts of power, killing anyone who challenged me, and like you I didn't care who it was…"

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_Tsumadaru ran through a large group of demons, slicing all with his shadow spear. He looked the same as he did now, only he had normal arms. His eyes weren't as cold, similar to the way Bankotsu's, and his long hair was held up._

_After the dust had cleared Tsumadaru stood over the mound of dead demons smiling. He then shook his head and blasted the corpses in anger with his shadow spear. "I am not strong enough…" he yelled "…I should have been able to take on those demons with greater ease" _

_He stared at his spear as an idea entered his head. He lifted his head, with a smirk, and continued to walk past the remaining corpses._

___________________________________

_People began to usher their children into the houses with worried expressions, as Tsumadaru walked through the streets. A group of warriors appeared and surrounded Tsumadaru who gave a smirk. _

"_Tsumadaru, why have you returned to the Eastern Divine Land's? If you leave now no harm will come to you"_

_Tsumadaru smiled at the divine general. He was similar in height to Tsumadaru and looked about the same age. His hair was deep black to his mid-back. His face couldn't be seen since, like the other men, he wore armor over his face only showing his nose down. He carried a double sided spear, and was riding a horse similar to Sesshomaru's Ah-un. The general jumped off his steed, and faced Tsumadaru._

"_Ah, Kohumaru my old friend…" Tsumadaru smiled "…I see they have made you general of are people huh?"_

"_Of 'MY' people Tsumadaru, and you are not welcome here" he leaned in to whisper "Tsumadaru…please leave this place, I do not wish to fight you"_

_Tsumadaru raised his spear ready to fight "Come now Kohumaru you speak as if we are still friends" _

"_We were once, until the day you recklessly slaughtered are people while fighting an invading dragon" Kohumaru spoke coldly masking his own pain "You were banished those ten years ago, why have you returned here?"_

_Tsumadaru smiled at his old companion "You were always weak Kohumaru, you always held back afraid of realizing absolute power because of your emotions" He pointed his spear straight towards Kohumaru "…I am not scared of realizing that power, and for these past ten years I have fought with countless to prove that"_

_Kohumaru nodded "So I have heard, apparently 'old friend' you have become quite a monstrous demon of your former self"_

"_So I have, but I still need more power and that is why I have come here to proclaim the crystal of are people"_

_Kohumaru's mouth slightly opened "Tsumadaru you can't be serious, that crystal is what guards are people from invading demons, it's the barrier of are people!"_

"_I know very well what it is Kohumaru, I came to absorb it's powers into my own Divine Light and become unstoppable" he lunged at Kohumaru with his spear. The general blocked with a matching spear of his own "…what you have become now is only a weaker form of your former self"_

_The rest of the guards ran towards Tsumadaru who easily flung them. He ran past them, and headed towards a shrine off in the forest._

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_The shrine was dark; in the middle of the shrine was a box, Tsumadaru smiled at him easy this was. He cut open the small box, and the shrine was suddenly enveloped in a bright light. "Finally, with this I will have absolute power." He reached for the orb with his hand. When his hand had took hold of the orb the light from his own arm began to disappear "What the hell is this!!!" he yelled. Kohumaru entered the shrine and removed his helmet. "Tsumadaru" he spoke in a calm voice as he watched his old friend fall to the floor, unable to remove his hand from the orb. Kohumaru's eyes were kind and gentle. He had a very attractive face from his brown eyes to his messy bangs fell over his forehead._

"_What the hell is this Kohumaru?!" Tsumadaru yelled in pain._

"_I tried to warn you, but again you were to rash. The orb can only be touched by those pure divine spirits who don't have any darkness in their hearts. You have the heart of a ruthless demon and the orb sensed that. It reacted to your hate Tsumadaru, and absorbed your light" _

_Tsumadaru began to scream his eyes widened as his arm slowly began to grow black,. "NOOOO!"_

"_The orb is now replacing your light with the light of the demon's that it has before absorbed Tsumadaru" When the orb released Tsumadaru his divine marks on his forehead was black and his arm was the dragon arm he now carried. He panted in pain on the floor "You…You knew this would happen!"_

"_I knew of a curse, and now you will become the very thing your dark heart had desired, a cursed demon" Kohumaru walked out of the shrine "Good bye my old friend" he thought to himself while listening to Tsumadaru's screams…………………_

_________________________________

"The orb then bound me into what was suppose to be eternal darkness, I later found out about a way to revert the curse, using the souls of 3000 humans. With them they will subside the demon form with in me." he dodged another attack "…like you I was filled with a thirst for power that could never be quenched

"Bankotsu tried to do a back swipe to hit Tsumadaru, but failed "Don't compare me to you" he yelled "…I will not fail in my pursuit for power"

Tsumadaru stared at Bankotsu "You don't understand. Your search for power will only lead you to misery; even your so called friend's will become worthless to you"

Bankotsu began to pant. He stared at Tsumadaru "There is a big difference between us Tsumadaru, you fell to your own desires, and that made you weak. You became too greedy"

"How is that any different then what you're doing now Bankotsu?"

Bankotsu jumped forward with Banryu. He gave a swing and missed. Tsumadaru smiled "You're still to slow"

Bankotsu gave Tsumadaru a cold glare. He bounced away from the wall he landed towards, and, with Banryu, landing a punch in Tsumadaru's face, followed by another into the wall. Bankotsu stepped in front of the fallen Tsumadaru "The difference between you and I Tsumadaru, is that unlike you I would never let anything blind sight me to betray me friends"

Tsumadaru smiled "You won't be able to resist its call Bankotsu," he smiled "or did you not realize that the pods have almost completely absorbed your friends"

Bankotsu turned his head to see Jakotsu's head completely cover "Jakotsu!?"

"When the night goes everyone in the cave will follow into the darkness, in other words they will die" his voice was cold as he spoke. "NO!!!…" He lifted Tsumadaru by his collar "You said that if I landed a hit you'd set them free you bastard!!!"

"I did"

Bankotsu dropped him, and pointed Banryu to his neck "Release them now…" he growled ."It's too late Bankotsu, so what will you do, kill me, or try to save your friends? What is most important?" Tsumadaru closed his eyes in anticipation.

Bankotsu stared at Tsumadaru then back to his friends. Banryu blade came dropping down to Tsumadaru, but when Tsumadaru opened his eyes he realized that Banryu was thrown down next to him. He looked at Bankotsu surprised to see he was clawing hopelessly at the pods, his hands started to bleed again from the roughness of the pods. Tsumadaru rose giving a confused eye towards the struggling warrior "Do you realize Bankotsu, that in a matter of minutes everyone in this cave will fade to the darkness including yourself?"

"Shut-up, you bastard!!!" he turned to Jakotsu's pod and tried to pry it open from the top "Jakotsu you have to fight!!! JAKOTSU!!!" he gave another scream, in hopes of his friend awakening, but to no avail. "Do you care that much for them Bankotsu? So much that you would willingly give up your own life?" he spoke in shock, confused about this choice. "I already told you didn't I? I'm not scared of dying…" he continued to scratch at the pods; a similar dark shadow from the forest began to appear around the cave and climbed slowly up their legs. Bankotsu's eyes watered slightly as he clawed at the pod unsuccessfully.

"_This kids serious he's putting his own life in danger for his friend, why_?" Tsumadaru smiled softly to himself, and mumbled "…maybe we are different…"

The shadow began to climb up Bankotsu's chest. _"…No, I'm not scared of dying, but what right do I have to put them in danger, because of my search for strength_" his thoughts went rampant as clawed the pods. Soon, the shadow crawled up to his neck, and he began to feel light headed again "_…I'm not gonna die with that on my hands…" _again Bankotsu found his eyelids growing heavy, and again he slipped into darkness.

_________________________________

. "…Bankotsu…" Tsumadaru's voice called Bankotsu back to consciousness. When he opened his eyes he was floating again in the dry darkness unable to breath. He saw the pods begin to evaporate off everyone. Bankotsu turned his head to see both the unconscious Jakotsu and Karien.

Coming out of the mouths of the captives was a type of light. "_Is that the life energy Tsumadaru steals?" _Bankotsu thought as he made his way over to them. He tried to grab their arms, but found that his went straight through him "_What am I gonna do? how do I stop their souls from leaving, when they're trapped to this realm?_"

His eyes started to get heavy again, and he noticed a glow coming from the back of Jakotsu's neck. "Is _that what's connecting him to this realm_"

He moved to the back of Jakotsu and Karien and saw what looked like part of the root of the pods burrowing into their necks. "_I have to do this quick_" he thought, his eyes growing heavier again. He grabbed the broken armor plate from his kimono, and broke off two shards with his Banryu. "_The divine light can overpower the demon light, it was strong enough to protect me, then it should be able to…_" He shoved shards onto their necks and a bright light blinded Bankotsu and the rest of the darkness. The root evaporated in the blast, and everything whited out.

Bankotsu opened his eyes to see a normal looking Tsumadaru standing over the sitting Bankotsu. They were in an empty wasteland of nothing but white. Bankotsu was able to breath again, but was still too tired to stand all the way up. Tsumadaru looked at Bankotsu "Your friends lives have been spared along with your own. I have only half of my divine powers, but am now at least able to leave the realm of darkness for good…tell the village that the demon of darkness is gone now…" Tsumadaru's voice was indifferent to the situation, and he turned away. Bankotsu's eyes closed again as he watched the "demon" walk away.

When Bankotsu awoke he was laying down in the old village elders house. He quickly pushed himself up, looking around confused. His hair was down, his armor was off, and he was under some type of blanket. The old man stared at Bankotsu and ushered him to lay back down. "you're okay now,"

"JAKOTSU!!!" he stared at the old man angrily "…Where is Jakotsu and the girl Karien?!"

As soon as he finished speaking Jakotsu came through the door carrying a basket of herbs "Well, I'm glad to see you awake" he smiled. Karien followed also carrying herbs and smiling "You've been down all day,"

He blinked remembering what had happened. He pointed his hand weakly towards them "So the two of you are okay then?"

Jakotsu knelt next to him "I should be asking you that big brother"

Karien nodded "yeah, as soon as the darkness cleared we were in a cave, and you were unconscious on the floor"

Jakotsu nodded and chuckled "You were really bruised up"

Bankotsu's eyes were wide with shock as he slowly understood the "so, you don't remember anything at all?"

They both looked at him confused "What are you talking about?"

Bankotsu sighed giving up, and mumbling to himself "…Nervermind…" he tossed off the blankets and rose. The old man was shocked at this and spoke "You should rest young one stay here it's no trouble,"

Bankotsu shook his head, placed his armor back on, and grabbed Banryu "I better get going on my journey actually"

"You killed the demon didn't you," the old man watched Bankotsu "He didn't return the following night, is why I ask"

Bankotsu smiled happily "Don't worry old man, he won't return again"

Karien ran over to Bankotsu and hugged him "Oh Bankotsu, I understand that you are a very powerful warrior and must continue your journey, but please don't forget about me"

Jakotsu rolled his eyes "Oh brother, I think I'm gonna hurl"

Bankotsu's eyes returned to their large size, and he blushed a little confused. A sweat dropped fell on his face as he rubbed the back of his head with one hand and awkwardly patted her back with the other. "Don't worry Karien… I won't forget about you"

She looked up and smiled taking a step back with her hands behind her back "Good, make sure the two of you come back here for a visit when your around the village, okay?"

Bankotsu smiled, and put his arm around Jakotsu "we'd love to, huh Jakotsu?"

He rolled his eyes and grunted half heartedly "Yeah, it'll be a real pleasure"

____________________________________

Karien waved goodbye on top of a hill to her new friends, who were already at the bottom "Take care Bankotsu, I'll be praying for your safety!!!"

Jakotsu sighed and gave a short wave back, before returning to his brother "So what happened Bankotsu, with the demon I mean?"

"Nothing a few fists couldn't solve" he walked smiling at the beautiful day.

"Yeah, okay…you really want to come visit here sometime"

"If we were close by, why not?"

"Yeah, I guess it could be fun" He placed his hands behind his head. "I'm glad your feeling better Bankotsu"

Bankotsu smiled at his friend thinking the same thing "Yeah, me too"

The road ahead appeared to be clear and even a river ran alongside it. Bankotsu had known from previous years not to let fear rule him, but he never realized the other quality that mortals had; greed. He knew from his previous thoughts, that many demons and humans were motivated by greed. "_But I'm not greedy, I would have sacrificed my life for my friends_" he thought to himself trying hard to be satisfied with that. But somehow he didn't think that was the whole of the lesson. His mother might have been able to

explain this to him, but she wasn't there. What was Tsumadaru trying to tell him? Was it the same thing his mother warned him about? He didn't feel right about letting this lesson go. He felt like it would prove to be important later on, but he couldn't bring himself to understand. _"…What the hell were they talking about? How am I greedy?" _he continued his thoughts for a moment "…_Oh well, better not think too hard about it_" he sighed in in contempt, still not fully convinced with his words.

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**Kay, that's the end of that segment. The next chapter will be up in a few. Again, thanks for the comments I really appreciate them.**

**Much Love, Merky15**


	10. Bankotsu: Change in Plans

**Bankotsu: Change in Plans**

Bankotsu and Jakotsu traveled the lands in search of strong demons to kill. They would follow any leads given to them from villages. Some turned out to be untrue, and the ones that were true only lead them to weak demons. It was rare that there ever was a really strong demon. Never the less Bankotsu or Jakotsu never had a problem taking it out.

"So, how much farther now big brother?" Jakotsu sighed, tired of walking.

"Not, really sure, the guys from the village said that it was somewhere in this forest"

"yeah, well, I don't know what their talking about it looks more like a swamp then a forest"

Bankotsu and Jakotsu continued their search for the demon of the forest, with little if no luck in finding anything. Bankotsu turned his head over to Jakotsu "Maybe we should split up Jakotsu we might have more luck that way"

Jakotsu sighed at Bankotsu his eyes grew in annoyance "I suppose…"

Bankotsu smiled at his friend "You know Jakotsu, the first one to find the demon gets to take its head"

"Oh, you mean like a race or something?" he smiled, clasping his hands. Bankotsu nodded "first come first serve. How does that sound?"

But, Jakotsu already started off towards the left of Bankotsu, who just realized he had been talking to himself. Bankotsu sort of laughed it off, and kept walking straight ahead.

After twenty minutes or so of searching, Bankotsu began to wonder if Jakotsu had already found the demon, until he heard a loud roar. He poked his head up and saw a large flock of birds fly away from that direction.

"I guess the demons still up for grabs" he smiled ,and headed to where he heard the noise. The deeper Bankotsu ventured the thicker the fog became. Soon, He arrived to a part of the forest that was mostly swamp, and green water came up to Bankotsu's ankles. He pressed on despite the conditions, and arrived to a spot where he saw what looked like a man covered in a white baboon pelt lurking over a large light green demon that lay motionless in the swamp, most likely dead. Bankotsu stopped walking "I came to fight the demon who rules this forest"

The man in the pelt didn't move when he answered "Perhaps it was him"

"Did you kill him?" Bankotsu asked sternly. The man turned his head to see Bankotsu "Are you a demon slayer? Or some kind of monk?"

Bankotsu pointed Banryu at the man "I am neither one of those things. If you are telling me that you are strong then I wish to fight you"

"Oh, do you wish to test your strength?" his tone mocked the young warrior. Bankotsu gritted his teeth and charged forward "One like you who possessed demonic powers from the moment he was born couldn't possibly understand!"

The man jumped out of the way and Banryu landed inside the dead green demon. From the other side of the bank the man stood "From the moment I was born?" he gave a smug little laugh. "What's so funny?" he pulled his Banryu out from the demon. "You desire demonic powers do you?"

"So then, you admit that you're a demon"

The demon stared at Bankotsu "I have been wandering the land searching for a power that I have not yet acquired, the Shikon Jewel shard. It can empower both humans and demons"

"The Shikon Jewel you say?" Bankotsu looked at the demon slightly interested. "I do not know if or when it will manifest it self in this world again" the demon continued. Bankotsu and the demon stared at each other for a moment in silence.

"Hey! Big Brother"

Bankotsu turned his head to see Jakotsu walking towards him. Jakotsu rolled his eyes "OH, You're kidding" he sighed and closed his eyes "You can at least save me one to kill okay."

Bankotsu turned back to were the pelted demon was standing to see he had disappeared. Jakotsu walked over to his brother "So, you hungry?"

Bankotsu stared straight ahead for a moment in thought. He turned his head to see Jakotsu. "Hey Jakotsu lets go to war"

Jakotsu's eyes grew slightly wide with a little confusion "Huh, but what for? I thought you said you'd never take orders from a samurai"

Bankotsu looked ahead again with a smile "and I won't…" he placed Banryu on his shoulder "…The samurai won't be able to complain, to the leader of an elite band of mercenaries"

Jakotsu pointed to himself "Yeah, but there's only you and me"

Bankotsu's face dropped after realizing he'd need more then two guys "you're right, I guess we'll need to recruit some more comrade's" he sighed and started walking off. Jakotsu followed after him "Hold up big brother, are you serious?"

Bankotsu looked off ahead in thought "I wonder how many men we should have in are mercenary band?"

"Huh?…" Jakotsu gave up on his confusion and smiled "…well, you can count me in I suppose…" he gave Bankotsu a thumbs up "…But make sure there's some good looking guys"

Bankotsu shifted his eyes towards Jakotsu, smiling "Don't be silly; what's most important is that they're strong"

"Huh?…yeah I guess you're right…" he scratched his head "…If we recruited good looking warriors I'd just want to cut them up. What was I thinking?"

The two laughed a little as they walked out of the forest. Their new mission to find a group of elite warriors.

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"Yes, a monstrous creature rampaged through our entire village"

Bankotsu stared at the remainder of the village. Obviously most of it had been in flames not to long ago, and parts of it looked as if it was blown apart "What did the culprits look like"

The middle aged man working the fields explained "There were two of 'em fellows, one was a huge machine, cannons strapped all around him"

Another farmer popped in, an older man "The other guy looked human, but he was the brains behind the whole darn thing. He controlled that, that, that creature"

The third taller farmer continued, leaning on his pick axe "He stole all of are food, sake, and money. After which he burned the whole village down with a grin on his face"

"I'm just glad no ones dead" the first one sighed. Jakotsu turned to Bankotsu "so what do you think Big brother you want to try and find them?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" the third farmer yelled "THEY'LL DESTROY YOU"

Bankotsu smiled "Not to worry, we're not really all that weak ourselves. So tell us where they left too"

"Last I saw them they headed south"

"Straight through the village huh? thanks" Bankotsu started off. The second farmer called after him "Hold on sonny, be warned, the human looking guy, he breaths fire. And that monster he controls, can blasted down half of our village with one shot"

Bankotsu nodded "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind"

As the two just passed through the village they noticed everything was destroyed. Jakotsu looked back "Wow, these guys look pretty tough, huh Bankotsu?"

"I'm not sure; they didn't even kill a single person"

Jakotsu looked a little confused "You think they're too soft?"

"I'm not sure yet, we're going to have to find them first, we'll figure out the rest when we get there" Bankotsu stopped walking and looked at the floor. Jakotsu looked at Bankotsu "what now?"

"Look on the floor"

Jakotsu looked down and saw large footprints in the ground "Whoa!" he smiled "Think it's from that monster guy?"

Bankotsu smiled "Yeah, and if that's the case this just got a lot more enjoyable" the two headed off towards the path of footprints that marked the ground.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Ginkotsu?" A young looking man wearing a light blue scarf on his head, along with armor, was standing on a tree branch. He looked down at a large looking mechanic man with red hair. Ginkotsu's single visible eye was surrounded by light blue.

It was night now, and the two were staying in a forest right near the river banks. The red headed one look up "Gh, yes Renkotsu" he answered. The more human one continued "We'll be heading out in the morning. Will you be ready by then?" his voice was calm and calculating. "Gh, yes" he repeated.

"Good" Renkotsu smiled, but his eyes didn't change. "Hurry and finish the rest of the food, I don't want to be stuck carrying anything" he commanded.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I'm starving. I wouldn't mind eating the rest for you"

Renkotsu and Ginkotsu quickly turned to see were the voice was coming from. Bankotsu came towards the two, after brushing away some blocking shrubbery. He had been watching the both of them for a few minutes now. He casually walked past Ginkotsu, who looked both angry and annoyed, and began looking through a sack of stolen goods; he found some rolls and grabbed two. He began to eat one looking at Ginkotsu "You know the way the villagers described you I figured you were an enormous demon…" his mouth was full as he continued to talk "…But you're just a large human aren't you?"

Jakotsu came from the same spot Bankotsu came from "hey big brother" he looked at the two new faces "Well I guess you found are guys" he placed his hands to his hips excitedly. Bankotsu nodded and threw Jakotsu the other roll. He caught it and began to eat.

Renkotsu gritted his teeth angrily, and a cannon blast landed where Bankotsu was standing. Bankotsu landed to the side of it. He looked up at Renkotsu, who carried a furious expression on his face "JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!!!"

Bankotsu blinked, then smiled "Oh, yeah I almost forgot about you. You're the brains right?" he waved. Renkotsu jumped out of the tree and shot another blast at Bankotsu. Renkotsu smiled when the smoke cleared, and Bankotsu was gone. "Cocky little bastard" he scoffed.

"Now that's not very nice, Renkotsu."

Renkotsu looked to his side to see Bankotsu, still alive and unscathed. "That's a good thing though" Bankotsu continued still eating his bread "You're not a kind hearted guy, I needed to see if you would have hesitate to kill me or not. Congratulations, you passed"

Renkotsu growled at Bankotsu. Ginkotsu rose and stood ready to fire. "You should calm him down, Renkotsu…" Bankotsu began "…he'd only manage to shoot you as well as me"

Renkotsu looked at Ginkotsu, knowing that Bankotsu was right "Calm yourself Ginkotsu. I'll finish this fool myself" he jumped back and looked at Bankotsu. Bankotsu smiled "So what? You want to fight me Renkotsu, I don't really mind it…" he pulled out Banryu "You're supposed to be smart right?" he twisted Banryu over his shoulders and pointed it towards Renkotsu. Bankotsu jumped over to him smashing Banryu to the floor, Renkotsu barely moved out of the way. "Heh, you missed," he drank from a pitcher on his arm, and exhaled fire towards the intruder. Bankotsu's eyes widened as the fire began to surround him. When the fire cleared Bankotsu was gone. Renkotsu had a look of triumph on his face "How pathetic your friend is" he smiled at Jakotsu.

Jakotsu smiled back with a giggle "You think so brother Renkotsu?" already deciding that Renkotsu was part of his group. Renkotsu's looked up, and his eyes widened. Bankotsu came flying down from a tree branch, and landed a punch in Renkotsu's face.

"GH, brother Renkotsu?!" The mechanic monster cried. Renkotsu lifted up his elbows while he lay on the floor, and tried to scurry away from the approaching opponent. Bankotsu lifted him up by his collar, and smiled "now as I was saying…" he threw Renkotsu into a group of trees, and ran to keep up with his throw. Renkotsu rose up, his back in pain "You bastard" he worded out. Bankotsu punched him in the stomach, and Renkotsu fell to his knees coughing up blood.

"Now, Renkotsu…" Bankotsu continued, looking down at Renkotsu "…I heard you were the smart one is that true?"

Renkotsu pulled out a knife, and tried to stab Bankotsu. He easily moved to the side and elbowed Renkotsu's back. Again Renkotsu fell to the floor, and dropped the knife. He quickly stretched his arm forward in an attempt to retrieve his fallen weapon, only to have Bankotsu step on his hand. "Is that true?" Bankotsu asked again. When no answer came he pushed his foot down onto Renkotsu's hand. He screamed in pain "YES!"

Bankotsu kicked the knife away, leaving Renkotsu on the floor in pain bleeding from his mouth. "You see Renkotsu…" the younger warrior started "…I'm putting together a band of mercenaries for hire. And to have a group of mercenaries you need to have strategy. I'm horrible with that crap, so is Jakotsu there"

Jakotsu nodded in agreement "it's true"

Bankotsu continued "I'm assuming you're the one you made those machines over there on Ginkotsu, is that true?"

Renkotsu didn't answer; Bankotsu kicked him hard in his side. Renkotsu coughed up more blood. "YES!" he yelled. Ginkotsu got ready to shoot Bankotsu. "Not smart!…" Bankotsu yelled "…One blast can destroy half a village…" he looked at Ginkotsu "…you'll kill me, but Renkotsu here would die as well"

Ginkotsu growled, and stepped back. Bankotsu turned back to Renkotsu "You seem like the kind of man who enjoys extravagant things, even if you have to take them for your self. Why not join me Renkotsu, as you can no doubt see when are band is completed we'll be unstoppable. You'll be able to have whatever you want, without any boundaries" he lifted his hand to Renkotsu, who looked at it untrustingly. Bankotsu smiled "Don't worry I won't kill you if you refuse me…"

Renkotsu grabbed his hand, as Bankotsu lifted him up "…I accept your offer…"

Jakotsu walked over to Renkotsu, Ginkotsu hurried over as well, "Brother Renkotsu, Brother Ginkotsu, this is our Big Brother Bankotsu"

"Brother Bankotsu?…" Renkotsu worded out, "…I see, and where are the other members of are 'Band of mercenaries' at?"

Bankotsu patted Renkotsu's back "This is it…so far" he corrected. "Oh…" Renkotsu worded out. Bankotsu looked at Renkotsu "How many men do you think we should have?"

"I say anywhere from between six to eight"

"Then it should be seven, we will have a band of seven" Bankotsu looked at his men with a smile "Ginkotsu, do we have any sake in that sack?"

Ginkotsu nodded "GH, yes…Brother Bankotsu"

Jakotsu smiled "Alright, Are we gonna celebrate now Big Brother?"

Bankotsu nodded, walking with his arm still around the nervous Renkotsu "After Renkotsu took a beating like that, I think we should celebrate. To are newly formed companions"

Jakotsu lifted his hands excitedly "As long as there is sake, I'll celebrate to anything" The group gave a small laugh. As Jakotsu poured the drinks.

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**_Wow, I think this is a great spot to leave off for now. Again, your comments are always appreciated. I hope you guys are liking it so far._**

**_Much Love,_**

**_Merky15_**


	11. Bankotsu: The Show

_**Bankotsu**__**: **__**The Show**_

The band of four continued their journey together. Bankotsu was on a look out for the other 3 needed members of his mercenary crew, but so far nothing new was discovered. The group was instead sitting by a river in a bit of a dilemma. Renkotsu, as Jakotsu kindly pointed out, needed a mark that would represent his membership to the 'Brotherhood' as Jakotsu called it. "Brother Ginkotsu already has one around his eye" Jakotsu pointed at the blue surrounding the mechanical mans eye "…But brother Renkotsu needs one"

Renkotsu was slightly nervous about getting a permanent mark on his face, and Bankotsu patted his back "Relax, I have an idea…"

Bankotsu finished making the paint, and decided that since there were already two blue marked members, Renkotsu should share his color "We'll be even more like brothers" he smiled. Renkotsu watched at how sloppily his 'Big Brother' added the substances to the mixture, and how he dropped a piece of what looked like a once piece of armor, into the mix to make it glow with a bright light. "Look…" Jakotsu cried, as he ran to Bankotsu with a purple piece of basal "Is this color good?"

Bankotsu nodded "It's perfect" he grounded it up and let it fall into the now purple glowing bowl. Bankotsu looked at the nervous Renkotsu "Relax…all I need is your blood"

"WHAT?" Renkotsu asked jumping slightly back. Bankotsu shrugged as he explained "Look, you don't want the mark to be permanent right?"

Renkotsu nodded slowly, as Bankotsu continued "If you drop your blood into the mix. The paint will be absorbed into your blood, and you can make it come and go as you please"

Jakotsu blinked "That doesn't make much sense does it?"

Ginkotsu nodded "Gh…no"

Bankotsu rolled his eyes "It's easy, Jakotsu added a strand of his hair. With the yanked hair came a piece of his skin, which the spell would only make contact with. By adding your blood, the paint can remain hidden inside your skin, with the blood, and above it, where it is marked on your face, depending on your choice"

Renkotsu lifted an eyebrow "and you've seen this done?"

Bankotsu looked up a little embarrassed as he spoke "Well, technically no, but it sounds full proof…I guess"

Renkotsu sighed and grabbed the bowl and paint brush from his brother's hands "I'll agree to it, but I wish to do it myself" he remembered how clumsy Bankotsu was being earlier, and if this was permanent he didn't want to be stuck with an uneven mark. Bankotsu nodded not realizing why Renkotsu decided to do it himself. Renkotsu grabbed his hidden dagger, and made a cut to his wrist. The blood fell into the bowl, and Bankotsu nodded at it being enough. The mixture turned from the light purple, into a darker color of purple thanks to the blood. Renkotsu stood and walked down the river to see his reflection better.

When Renkotsu returned to the group, he had no marks on his face, and Bankotsu sighed annoyed, as he leaned on the near by rock "What? don't tell me you chickened out"

"On the contrary big brother" as Renkotsu walked over, his marks began to appear. Two large marks appeared from the bottom of his face to the top of his forehead, coming to a jagged point, and on his forehead was a strange mark which resembled a bent arrow with two ends. "Well…" he began "What do you think?"

Bankotsu smiled excitedly "And I thought you were going to do a lame line or something unnoticeable"

Jakotsu nodded with Ginkotsu "Yeah, I'm jealous"

Renkotsu rubbed the back of his head not thrilled with all of the attention "So, Brother Bankotsu, how do you intend to recruit the other three members of our mercenary band?"

Bankotsu looked serious in thought "Well, I though we could travel around, and see if any news picks up about deadly warriors"

Renkotsu took a seat with his fellow killers "Do you think that, that is going to get the job done quick enough?"

"It's how I found you, and besides there's so many wars going on. It's not like they're gonna go anywhere"

Renkotsu nodded "I see…"

Bankotsu rose "We should probably get going actually"

He started off and the other followed. Renkotsu sighed in the back, unheard. This was going to be a while and he knew it.

____________________________

After about three days of traveling no news was heard of. Renkotsu was starting to think that joining in this group was actually going to get him nowhere, but Bankotsu on the other hand acted like he could care less. The first two days were of no progress, and neither was the third, less you count a demon killing by Bankotsu.

As they continued down another path, through another unknown village, Jakotsu stopped in his tracks. Renkotsu was the first to notice this "What is it Jakotsu?" he asked calmly. Jakotsu was facing a wall completely motionless. Bankotsu and Ginkotsu stopped when Renkotsu made his comment, and turned around towards Jakotsu. "…Jakotsu…?" Bankotsu asked confused. Jakotsu slowly turned around. He stared at his companions with large eyes, his hands fisted up to his neck "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE BROTHER BANKOTSU!!!" He began to jump from foot to foot with excitement as he spoke.

Bankotsu looked at his brother like he was insane "…What are you talking about?"

Jakotsu stopped his jumping and pointed to a sign on the wall. Bankotsu blinked and grabbed the sign reading it out loud for the group to hear "Master Sensoku'sTraveling World of My-stare-i-es and…" he paused "…What the hell does My-stare-i-es mean?" he asked annoyed with the paper in his hand, as he slapped it with the other. Renkotsu walked behind Bankotsu to look at the strange word. He blinked for a moment before looking down at his smaller brother "…The word is Mysteries…" he paused for a moment and let Bankotsu sink it in "…Oh…Go on…"

Renkotsu continued "It says, Master Sensoku's Traveling World of _Mysteries_ and Wonder. A week long presentation of the unimaginable and extraordinary…"

Bankotsu looked at Renkotsu awaiting a further explanation. Renkotsu understood the look and continued "It appears to be a group of traveling entertainers of some sort…"

Bankotsu cut off Renkotsu and looked at the excited Jakotsu "…So what about it Jakotsu?"

"What about it? I want to go see it!" Jakotsu exclaimed

Bankotsu had a mixture of confusion and annoyance on his face "Why?"

Jakotsu rolled his eyes "Come on big brother, don't you want to take a break, and have some fun?"

Renkotsu nodded "It does appear to be interesting. I wonder what kind of mysteries they'll have" he placed a pondering hand to his chin. Ginkotsu nodded with a smile "Gh-yes, It sounds quite interesting"

Bankotsu looked at his strange group. How could anything that doesn't involve violence be fun? He shrugged when he realized they were looking forward to this event before he even gave an answer "…I suppose, if that's what you really want, but we leave tonight, understand?"

Jakotsu jumped in the air for joy at his brothers comments, giving an answer for the rest "Of course big brother!!!"

_______________________

"This is a lot bigger than I would have thought" Bankotsu looked around at his surroundings. Lanterns were strung all around the village, and shops were open everywhere selling everything. Everyone was dressed up, and headed over to the stage at the end of town to see the show, that was going to be presented to them. Jakotsu sighed, and had a depressed look on his face. "What's wrong with you?" Bankotsu asked "…You're the one who dragged us here"

"I know…It's just that…well everyone here's dressed up…"

Bankotsu turned and gave a laugh at his friend "Is that what's bothering you? Who cares about that?"

Jakotsu looked away annoyed at his brothers comment. Bankotsu noticed and his laugh turned to a grin. He looked back at Renkotsu "And what about you?"

Renkotsu looked nervously at his brother "What do you mean?"

"Do you feel like accessorizing also?"

Renkotsu rolled his eyes at his brothers attempt at a joke "Unfortunately, No"

___________________________________

When the three arrived at the stage, Bankotsu left to find food, they had a hard time maneuvering through the crowd. Apparently, Master Sensoku's show was very popular all around Japan. People from surrounding villages even came to watch the show, and the village who sponsored it knew how much money could be made by keeping your shop open late during these festivities.

The group of three managed to secure a spot in the mid-back, which was a good spot considering, according to Renkotsu. "But I wanted to get a spot up front" Jakotsu cried shaking his head in a hissy-fit sort of way. "That is enough Jakotsu" Renkotsu started. Jakotsu took the hint and crossed his arms angrily. "Hold on…" a man, apparently helping to run the show, yelled at the three brothers. The three turned and looked at the man. "What is it?" Renkotsu asked annoyed. "What are you three doing down here? The show's about to start"

Jakotsu blinked "…What…?"

"The show" the man continued annoyed "It's starting in ten minutes, you're going to be late if you don't get down there"

Jakotsu smiled, and leaned his hand towards Renkotsu to whisper "They think you're part of the show…"

"ME?!" Renkotsu yelled at the cross-dresser "If anything I'm the most normal looking of any of you!!!"

The man look on confused "HURRY!"

Jakotsu nodded, and followed the man through the crowd. They successfully acquired a front row seat, although many who sat behind Ginkotsu were angry (of course, none would say anything). Jakotsu sat on the floor next to Renkotsu joy spread on his face.

________________________________________

Bankotsu arrived at the back end of the crowd looking for his comrades. He had his hands filled with food up to his neck, and was having little success in getting anywhere, of course his lack in size didn't help. "…Guys…?" he asked meekly, as he looked around for his friends.

___________________________________

Finally Master Sensoku appeared on stage. He was a shorter man, and wore an elegant Kimono with a design similar to a rainbow salmons scales. "I am pleased to be here with you all this evening…" he started "…I only wish to inform you, that what you might see here today will astonish, and perhaps shock you. This is defiantly not something for the faint of heart…"

Jakotsu ribbed Renkotsu in the stomach "Oh boy, this is starting to sound good, huh Renkotsu?"

Sensoku continued in his monologue "…So without any further a due let us start the Entertainment"

Many performers came on the stage including: Puppeteers, Strange deformities, and a numerous amounts of dancers (The women's dances all annoyed Jakotsu). Of course when any sort of mysterious trick was performed, Renkotsu would casually explain how it was done "There's two of them" "It's behind his back" "Pathetic, you can see the rope behind him" "Honestly, there's a trap door at the bottom of the stage"

And after every comment Renkotsu made, Jakotsu would send him a dirty look, or say something like "Shhh" "No it's not" "Let me watch it" "Renkotsu!"

In general the show was a good one, but nothing there could really be classified as truly Mysterious or wondrous, especially considering how Renkotsu ripped it apart. Sensoku appeared on the stage again, to announce the next performance. Renkotsu placed his elbow on his crossed knees, and placed his head in his hand, obviously tired of this show. "I warn all of you of this next abomination…" Sensoku started "…for nothing can describe it better than that. I swear to all of you that it is a human. A human that resembles nothing more than a demon"

Many women in the audience squeezed into the comfort of their husbands, and the children into their mothers. Renkotsu's slowly went back to sitting upright as Sensoku spoke, with interest.

"…This blood thirsty animal, comes to you tonight from the deepest pits of despair himself, I bring to you THE HUMAN GIANT FROM HELL!!!" Sensoku moved off of the stage as twenty of his men yanked chains pulling something much larger onto the stage. "What the hells that?" Jakotsu spoke slightly scared at the hidden beast. Renkotsu's eyes slanted down angrily at the perceived threat "I…don't know" (He had a hard time saying that).

The men pulled out from behind the curtains what appeared to be a large human man. He wore large intimidating armor, and was shackled from head to toe with large iron chains. He roared angrily at his captives, and pulled hard in vain in order to escape. He had spiked green hair, with a black head band on his forehead, and easily doubled the size of any large human, Ginkotsu included.

Many of the humans screamed in fear of this roaring beast, and Sensoku motioned them for silence "Do not fear this beast" he spoke loud enough for the crowd to hear "…As intimidating as he is, he is in complete control" he made a motion to his other men, and they all responded by whipping the giant repeatable times. Jakotsu looked on in horror at what he saw "WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM?" he yelled angrily at Renkotsu. Renkotsu gave no answer and watched the scene with a calm face, his eyes slanted in thought.

The humans began to laugh at the struggling giant, and aided in his humiliation throwing whatever they had at the monster. The giant began to scream in pure anger at the crowd, which continued their taunting to a higher degree. Then something happened that caught Sensoku off guard, The large giant pulled away from one of his captors throwing him clear across the crowd as he did so. His arm was free, and he began to attack the men holding him down. The crowd saw this and immediately dispersed away from the stage in fright. Not more than a minute after the giants freedom, he was captured again. All of Sensoku's men ran over and began chaining down the enormous man. When the giant was being held on the floor Sensoku ran over with a type of needle, and stabbed it into the mans neck. As soon as he had done this, the giant's movements became more sluggish, and soon he couldn't put up much more of a fight. Sensoku quieted the remainder of the crowd, before announcing the end of the show, and closing the curtains. Jakotsu looked at his other two brothers for support "What are we going to do?"

"about what?" Renkotsu asked, obviously angry about the display himself. "What do you mean what?!" Jakotsu's hands were fisted as he spoke "About what we just saw, we can't let him stay there and be tormented, because he's weird"

"Gh-yes, Brother Renkotsu. Jakotsu is right" Ginkotsu nodded looking at the, apparent second in command. "What would you have me do now Jakotsu?" Renkotsu answered "If anything we must first speak with Big Brother"

"I already saw" Bankotsu had his empty hands crossed. He spoke seriously, but no trace of pure anger could be seen. Jakotsu's anger ceased as he saw his brother "What happened to you? You're covered in dirt and sticky rice"

Bankotsu's hair was a mess, and his white kimono now had splotches of brown, and yes he was covered in sticky rice "…Nothing…" he spoke quickly trying to change the subject, not wanting to admit that he was pushed to the ground by the stampede of running villagers, where his food was thrown on top of him "…We should get to the matter at hand" he finished.

"What do you intend to do big brother?" Renkotsu asked. "Isn't that obvious Renkotsu?" Bankotsu answered "we're going to save our new brother"

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oooh, what will happen next??? As always Read and Respond, Thanx

Much Love, Merky15


	12. Bankotsu: The Giant

_**Bankotsu: The Giant**_

The three stayed behind in the forest of the village. Bankotsu had said he wanted to somehow save this giant, but Renkotsu had his doubts about his brothers plan. What did he think? Was he going to rush in and save this giant? How did he know if the giant was even tame enough to control? Perhaps what was bothering him the most was Bankotsu's silence as he paced back and forth. "Big Brother" Renkotsu looked up at Bankotsu "What do you suppose our plan of action should be?"

Bankotsu stopped pacing, and looked down at Renkotsu "That's the thing, I'm not use to planning. I'm thinking we should just storm in a rescue the giant"

Renkotsu shook his head "Brother if I may, I don't think that, that's the best plan"

Bankotsu remained silent for Renkotsu to continue, and he did "We don't know enough about the giant to rush in and save him. For all we know he'll try to kill us"

Jakotsu shook his head angrily "No he wouldn't. We're going to try to help him, I doubt he'll try to kill us"

Renkotsu looked at Jakotsu, who obviously didn't understand what he was trying to say "He might not be able to understand that Jakotsu…" he looked back at Bankotsu "…He may be wild"

"What do you think we should do?" Bankotsu asked.

"We need to understand the situation before we attack. I say we evaluate him first"

Bankotsu nodded "I agree…" he unsheathed his Banryu and looked at his brothers "Me and my companion will go on ahead. When you see any sort of a commotion in the village, that will be your cue to attack, Got it?"

The three nodded, and Bankotsu ran off towards the stage.

________________________________

It wasn't hard for Bankotsu to sneak his way in. Most everyone who saw him assumed he was part of the crew. Bankotsu was slightly annoyed by this, he wanted to be able to kill off a few of the guards. Behind the stage were cages that were covered in a large cloth. The large cages carried the animals around. There was also many of the supplies that were used in the show, and the guards were apparently watching over everything, while most of the performers were inside an inn somewhere. Bankotsu came to a tent that was exceptionally larger than the others he had seen. Bankotsu slowly peeked his head inside, and noticed that there was no guards there. The rest of his body followed his head inside the tent. There was a large cage inside the tent, and inside the cage was the giant from the show. He was chained up to the steel cage, and was breathing sluggishly. Bankotsu looked at the whip marks that surrounded the man, and something like pity whelmed up inside him. The giant looked up and saw Bankotsu, and a loud growl escaped his lips. Nothing but pure hatred emanated from his eyes. "That's enough" Bankotsu spoke softly at the demon like human. The giant was slightly taken aback by the way Bankotsu spoke to him. It was almost as if he was speaking to him like a person. "I'm not here to harm you" Bankotsu slowly took a step closer towards the giant, but the giant snapped out of his shock, and began to roar again. He pulled on his chains as if he would break though them to kill to the man in front of him. "I already told you to stop that" Bankotsu scolded "…What can't you understand me?" he asked. The man looked at him inquisitively. "Well?" Bankotsu asked again. The human giant continued to look at Bankotsu "…I…can…" he answered, slightly awkwardly. He hadn't spoken to anyone for…well quite awhile. "Good" Bankotsu smiled kindly "…Renkotsu made it sound like you were a mindless beast"

The giant continued to look at Bankotsu. Bankotsu took another few steps closer, and the giants body tensed up. Bankotsu noticed and stopped walking "You shouldn't be so tense. I'm trying to help you"

"Help…me?" he asked confused

Bankotsu nodded "Yeah, that's right. Unless you'd rather be a chained up joke"

The giant looked at Bankotsu confused "…Why…?"

Bankotsu blinked. This guy was seriously confused. Did he really never have anyone help him before? He made it sound like Bankotsu was crazy "Why?" he repeated "…Well because I think those bastards that tried to overpower you deserve to die"

The giant for the first time smirked at Bankotsu. He turned his head to the side "you make… it sound so simple"

Bankotsu scoffed at that comment "What? Don't tell me you'd feel bad killing humans"

When he spoke this the giant quickly lunged foreword. Bankotsu was slightly taken aback by this, but didn't change his position. The giant growled furiously "DON"T MOCK ME!!!" he yelled practically foaming at the teeth "…Do you not think that I've tried to kill these fools! How dare you make it sound as if I'm scared of them. I'd wish for nothing more then to brake them apart bone by bone" he scoffed out.

Bankotsu smirked at the anger and hate this giant had. He couldn't help but think that he would make a reliable member to his band "well…" Bankotsu started "…Why haven't you then?"

"I've been held captive here ever since I was a child. Sensoku uses a needle the injections leave me practically immobile"

"And where were your parents?"

"Parents?" he thought back to see if he could remember "…I believe they were killed off by bandits, and the bastard Sensoku found me"

"I'm sorry to hear that" Bankotsu smiled trying to be pleasant "But that is all in the past. The present is what matters now"

The giant looked at Bankotsu confused again. Did this small boy really not fear him? Bankotsu walked closer, and found that the giant made no objections to this "So I offer you a choice. Would you like to stay here, or would you want me to free you, so you can get your revenge? But if I free you I'll ask something of you in return"

"Is that so?" The giant asked "If I choose to be freed, and refuse to do anything for you, what will you do then?"

Bankotsu thought about it for a moment, and looked back at the giant "Nothing, if you decide to refuse me, I won't do anything"

The giant leaned back away from the cage, and sat down "What do you want?"

"I want you to join me in my mercenary band"

The giant looked at Bankotsu confused, while he continued to speak "…Many will be killed by our hands, and we will be unstoppable" Bankotsu clenched his fist with excitement as he spoke. "I see…" the giant smiled evilly "…That sounds like fun"

Bankotsu nodded "It will be. So what say you?"

The giant nodded "I say yes"

Bankotsu smiled "Well that's great. I am the leader, brother Bankotsu"

The giant looked at the younger man, and shifted his eyes to the side in shame. "What's wrong?" Bankotsu asked. The giant didn't answer. Bankotsu moved in order to see the giant's eyes and spoke "…Don't you remember your name?"

"…no…it hasn't been used for many years now…"

"Well we're not gonna be calling you the 'Human Giant from hell'" he mocked. He thought for a moment and a smile fell on his face "…Kyokotsu. Yeah, how do you like Kyokotsu?"

The giant nodded with a small laugh as he spoke "Yes, that will do quite nicely I think"

Bankotsu unsheathed his Banryu "You're gonna want to move back" Bankotsu twisted the Banryu over his head, and slashed the cage open. He entered the cage and stared at the thick chains "_Maybe I should have waited for Renkotsu first_" he sighed. "The guards have the keys to open the chains"

"What guards?" Bankotsu asked "I was just outside and no one was guarding this tent"

Suddenly, a group of three men ran inside the tent "I told you I heard something" one of them pointed at Bankotsu, and the destroyed cage. Bankotsu smiled as the three charged towards him their swords drawn. Bankotsu easily lopped off their heads with one swing of his Banryu. Kyokotsu smiled, happily surprised by Bankotsu's decisiveness to kill. He casually walked over to one of his victims "Forty-two…" he grabbed the ring of keys on one of the guards belts, and went back towards Kyokotsu "Your freedom" he smiled.

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"What's taking brother Bankotsu so long?" Jakotsu sighed, swaying his feet back and forth from the rock he was sitting on "Why don't we just go?"

Renkotsu shook his head "No, big brother was very strict on his orders. We will wait here until we see any signs of a commotion going on in the village. When we see that we will go in, and then we can slaughter the village"

Jakotsu let out an even bigger sigh "but I want to kill them now" he mumbled. Renkotsu ignored this, and looked at Ginkotsu. The large mechanical man rose and stared in the direction of the forest "Gh-is that the commotion?"

Renkotsu looked up and saw Sensoku's carts heading out of the village through a visible path. The drivers appeared to be in terror, and the horses were moving at full speed "Jakotsu" Renkotsu spoke. Jakotsu looked hopefully at his brother "Yes brother Renkotsu?"

"Why don't show the entertainers, what real entertainment is?"

Jakotsu smiled knowing what his brother meant and ran towards the carts his sword drawn; the other two followed.

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Kyokotsu and Bankotsu joined together in slaughtering the entire village. Bankotsu stayed close by Kyokotsu, trying to 'evaluate' him, as Renkotsu suggested. Bankotsu was slightly impressed with the giants brute strength, and even more impressed with how ruthless he could be. He would grab the attacking men by the necks and with one hand easily crack through the bones. The sound even made Bankotsu cringe in delight for the first few times.

Bankotsu used Banryu in hopes of getting more human souls for his sword. After about an hour or so of this, Bankotsu smiled when he saw flames start to emerge around the village. Renkotsu, and the others had arrived, and judging by Jakotsu's bloody sword they already had gotten started. Ginkotsu shot out large circler razor blades from his back, and successfully destroyed a large amount of the village's homes. Kyokotsu looked over at the three angrily, and Bankotsu placed his hand against the giant "Relax Kyokotsu, these are our allies"

Kyokotsu felt uneasy about being touched so kindly by another, but nodded in understanding. "Hey look over there" Jakotsu pointed happily at Sensoku who ran outside of an inn with the other fleeing villagers. Jakotsu excitedly pulled back his weapon for an attack, but stopped as the shadow of Kyokotsu appeared above him. "No" the giant spoke with a voice of pure loathsomeness. Kyokotsu jumped over to the crowd of humans, and they all froze in fear. "Sensoku" Kyokotsu spoke, and an evil grin elapsed onto his face. Kyokotsu moved to grab the small man, and as he moved the villagers again ran out of the way. Sensoku began to cry as he looked at the large man "Please, please, I'll do what ever it is you want. I'll-I'll pay you, how does that sound. As much as you want"

Kyokotsu began to laugh at this, and squeezed the man harder. The other four members of the crew looked at the scene, curious as to what Kyokotsu would do. They all cringed when the sound of bones crunching could be heard, minus Bankotsu who was used to it by now. The sound of Sensoku's screams brought joy to Kyokotsu's face, but what happened next seemed to shock every member of the band of mercenaries. Kyokotsu brought the small Sensoku to his mouth, and tossed him inside, like he was eating a piece of fruit. Sensoku continued to scream until Kyokotsu successfully cracked his skull with his teeth. Jakotsu pointed meekly his eyes wide in shock "did…did he just eat that guy?"

Renkotsu nodded "I suppose so…"

Bankotsu smiled at the viciousness of Kyokotsu, and turned to the other men "What? Don't tell me you guys are done killing yet?"

Jakotsu snapped out of his gaze, and tightened his hand on his sword "What? Of course not!"

_________________________________

The village was completely demolished. Bankotsu looked at his men, with nothing more then joy on his face. If they could kill this way with only four men, and army of seven really would be unstoppable. It was morning now, and blood lined the streets.

Kyokotsu was sitting with his new brothers learning their names, and sporting a turquoise divine mark tracing the bottom of each eye. "You all did well" Bankotsu finally spoke "I'm very impressed with the way you handled this village, but this was just practice"

"What are you talking about big brother?" Jakotsu asked. Bankotsu continued "When we go into war we won't be fighting ordinary villagers. We will be fighting soldiers with weapons of their own. I'm not saying it won't be easy, it will be after the first few wars, but I am saying it will be harder than this was"

Renkotsu nodded "I understand"

"And when, brother, do we go to these wars" Kyokotsu asked, trying out the word brother. Bankotsu looked up at the sitting Kyokotsu to acknowledge his question "We need two more members to join our band of mercenaries. When we have completed this task we will begin"

"Me and Jakotsuto can't wait" Jakotsu smiled. Bankotsu looked at his brother confused "Whose Jakotsuto?"

"Well" Jakotsu began "…You got to name your weapon, so I decided to name mine too"

"So you named your sword Jakotsuto?" he asked with an air of superiority. Jakotsu rolled his eyes and crossed his arms looking to the side "What's wrong with that?"

Bankotsu placed both of his hands out defensively "Nothing…but that reminds me of something…"

Jakotsu slowly turned one of his eyes towards Bankotsu, who was patting his body down looking for something. He smiled largely when he found it and knelt at Jakotsu's side "…It's a gift"

Jakotsu sighed out the remainder of his anger, and took the small box that fell into his hands. He opened the small blue box, and a large smile appeared on his face. Bankotsu smiled at this "When you were saying that you were upset that you didn't have anything fancy to wear I decided to go get you something"

Jakotsu removed two hair clips out of the box. They were a light colored blue, and had the dark red outline of a butterfly. Jakotsu smiled and grabbed Bankotsu in a warm embrace "I'll never take them off!" he smiled. Bankotsu rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, and smiled "No problem"

"I believe that Kyokotsu needs a weapon of some sort" Renkotsu started breaking the moment of tenderness. Bankotsu looked his way, and rose "I was thinking about that too" he looked at Kyokotsu then back at Renkotsu "You can be in charge of forging him a suitable weapon then Renkotsu. That shouldn't be a problem, I mean you made all of Ginkotsu's weapons"

Renkotsu nodded "I see, but where should I complete this task?"

"At the blacksmiths place, assuming it wasn't destroyed by our attack"

Renkotsu nodded and he and Kyokotsu left to take on this task. Bankotsu fell to the floor happy with how the day turned out. He had successfully killed 50 men with his Banryu last night, making a total of 92 human deaths. As soon as his men went to war, he would more then easily meet his quota.

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**I must say that I loved writing the last two chapters. I was so much fun, and I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. Again thanks for the comments.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	13. Bankotsu: The Offerings

**Bankotsu: The Offerings**

Bankotsu had a determined look on his face as he walked in front of the four men behind him. He looked on ahead as if in thought. Jakotsu gave him a curious look, and Renkotsu walked closer towards his big brother "Brother Bankotsu? Is their something on your mind?"

Bankotsu turned his gaze towards Renkotsu, breaking his train on thought "There is..." he turned his attention back to the front "...As I'm sure you all know we only need two more men in our band, in order to start our mercenary goal. Now that we're so close, I want to hurry and get a start on finding our new men"

Renkotsu nodded "I see...but there hasn't been any news about any warriors as of yet"

Bankotsu nodded "I know and that's what's bothering me" he let out a deep sigh. Bankotsu had successfully killed many demons on his journey with Jakotsu, and he almost reached his 1,000 mark, killing 897 demons. After he killed 50 humans the night he met Kyokotsu, he realized that soon he would be able to complete the transformation on Banryu. This started to get him restless. How much longer before he found his next man? It had been almost a week since he met Kyokotsu.

"I don't know why you're letting this get to you..." Jakotsu shrugged "...we could start going into wars now"

Bankotsu shook his head "no, our name is going to be the Band of Seven. If we start building a reputation as the Band of Five, we won't be as well known when our Band of Seven is complete. We won't get as many hires, which means less killings in the long run"

"What do you plan to do, big brother?" Kyokotsu asked. The large giant was carrying a new weapon in his hand, no doubt made by Renkotsu. It was a large chain attached to a large spiked ball. Bankotsu shook his head at Kyokotsu's question"...I guess all we can do is keep walking"

"Gh, yes" Ginkotsu agreed.

The large group stopped when a strange sight caught their eyes. "What's going on here?" Jakotsu asked Bankotsu, who looked just as confused. "I don't know" he looked at Renkotsu "What's going on?"

Renkotsu stifled an aggravated sigh. Whenever something came up, he was always expected to know the answer right away. He walked over to observe the scene. He almost rolled his eyes with amusement...he did know what was going on.

There was a long line of villagers, and the line seemed to end somewhere in the forest up ahead. They were all carrying expensive looking items. "Maybe they're moving" Jakotsu spoke his idea to Renkotsu. Renkotsu shook his head at Jakotsu's ridiculous notion "No, it looks more along the lines of a sacrifices to appease someone"

"Like who?" Bankotsu asked. "Hard to say..." Renkotsu continued "...a god, a lord, hell it could just be a demon"

A smile fell on Bankotsu's face "A demon, huh?"

"What?" Jakotsu laughed "Don't tell me you want to go hunt down this demon?"

"Why not, we have time to kill" he walked over to a man in the long line. The man was carrying a large oriental rug, and some boxes on top of it, blocking his vision. As Bankotsu came closer to the line, a commotion was starting to break out. "Calm down" Bankotsu started, he knew that the commotion was most likely from the two larger members of his team "We're not here to hurt any of you" the uneasiness started to melt away, and Bankotsu continued towards the man. "Hey, you. I have some questions"

The man turned his body towards Bankotsu, but due to the boxes blocking his vision he couldn't see. When he turned the large rug he was carrying whacked Bankotsu in the head. "HEY" Bankotsu yelled. The man turned the other direction "oh, pardon me" but while turning he managed to whack Bankotsu again. Bankotsu's group let out a laugh, and Renkotsu managed to soften his into a smile. Bankotsu grabbed the boxes that clouded the man's vision, and looked at the ordinary villager. "Why thank you young man" the man smiled. "What's with this line?" Bankotsu asked.

"Oh?" the villager began "It's the village's yearly offerings"

"Offerings" Jakotsu asked. "Oh yes" the man smiled "Every year, out village makes offerings to calm the wrath of the demon with in this forest. It's been going on for over 80 years now"

"What happens if you don't, make the offerings?" Bankotsu asked.

"Well the demon will destroy our crops, or kill us of course" the man answered as if it was obvious. "Well you seem rather calm about this" Bankotsu raised an eyebrow at the man. A woman behind him continued "As long as the offerings are made, everything is normal"

"Really?"

"This has been going on for years now, and our village has managed just fine"

"Have you not tried to have the demon slain?" Renkotsu asked. The woman shook her head "Anyone who has tried has been killed long before they even meet the demon, and then our village is punished"

Bankotsu smirked "Sounds interesting"

The man looked at Bankotsu "You all look very strong, but I wouldn't recommend that you go after that demon" he grabbed the boxes Bankotsu held "You'll only unleash the demon's wrath on us" he gave Bankotsu a grateful smile "We'll manage just fine"

Bankotsu ignored this mans comment, and started to walk off ahead. The group blinked, and followed. "Are we not going to kill the demon?" Kyokotsu asked. "Of course we are" the line of villagers was now in the distance "we just need to plan this out a little more" he looked at Renkotsu who nodded in understanding.

____________________________________________

The forest was directly behind the group. They all stood in a large circle as Renkotsu spoke "The demon is in this forest, and it is known that it can kill its enemies from a far distance"

"So what?" Bankotsu asked anxiously. "So, big brother..." Renkotsu continued "I suspect that the demon is using poison"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Look at the forest"

Bankotsu turned to see that most of the trees in the forest looked dead, and no sound of wildlife could be heard. Renkotsu continued "We are at the outskirts of the forest, away from the village. This is most likely closer to where the demon is, judging by the looks of the trees. If we follow the path of decay we will find the demon"

"What about the poison?" Jakotsu asked "is it strong enough to kill us?"

Renkotsu nodded "Judging from the looks of it, I'd say yes. Deeper in the forest, I wouldn't be surprised if the air was also contaminated" he looked at Bankotsu for a decision. The leader nodded "I see, then we need a way to enter the forest without the demon unleashing its poison on us, and we need some sort of masks"

Renkotsu ran to Ginkotsu, and look inside one of his compartments "Will this work Big brother?" he pulled out a few light blue scarves. "How many of those things do you have, Renkotsu?" Bankotsu pointed. "Seriously Renkotsu. How many do you need?" Jakotsu added with a mischievous smile. "Well, they're coming in use now aren't they" Renkotsu spoke angrily towards Jakotsu. "Okay, enough" Bankotsu took a scarf, and wrapped it around his mouth "This will work perfect, good job Renkotsu"

"So how do we get inside the forest?" Jakotsu just finished tying the blue scarf around his face. "We can sneak are way in, but that's assuming that the demon's watching the offerings. If that's the case then we can easily, sneak up behind him, and I'll slice off its head" Bankotsu motioned towards Banryu

"Big brother, don't you think it sounds too simple? This demon may be able to sense us coming"

Bankotsu gave Renkotsu a trying smile "Do you have any better ideas?"

Renkotsu looked away "...no..."

"Well then, since this is about stealth, the big guys will have to sit this one out"

Ginkotsu and Kyokotsu both gave their leader looks of disapproval. Bankotsu matched their glares with one of his own "Understand?" he asked. They both understood and nodded "yes, Brother Bankotsu"

"Good" he looked at the other two "You guys ready?"

They nodded and followed after Bankotsu into the forest.

____________________________________

They found that Renkotsu's assumptions were right the deeper they followed the path, the thicker the air became. It was obvious by the Smokey color of the air that it was poisonous. "The demon hasn't appeared yet" Bankotsu spoke "I think this means he's busy with the offerings"

"Should we head in that direction?" Jakotsu asked. "Bankotsu shook his head "No, let's head to wherever that demon lives, that way we can unleash our surprise attack"

The air began to get thicker the deeper they continued, and resembled something like a fog. "I can't see anything Big brother" Jakotsu whined. Renkotsu grabbed a branch, and lit it on fire "Follow the flame, Jakotsu"

Jakotsu nodded and pressed on.

They walked through the thick smog for a while, but arrived at no destination. Bankotsu was starting to get aggravated by this. He paused and looked from the left to the right. "Big brother" Renkotsu began "...do you suppose we're lost?"

"Don't be ridiculous" he spoke plainly "We're fine" he didn't admit it but Renkotsu was right, he had no idea where they were now. _"Dammit...." _he thought to himself. Suddenly, a sharp pain hit Bankotsu's foot. He jumped away quickly holding his foot with one hand. He looked down to see a green smoke floating on the floor. "What the hell" Bankotsu looked as the smoke headed their way. Renkotsu gritted his teeth as he looked at the smoke "It's a type of poison, don't let it touch you"

"Yeah, I figured that out, but where's it coming from?"

A strange nasally laugh broke out towards the group "well, well, well who do we have here? Don't tell me a group of human demon slayers thought they could try to kill me?"

"Is that the demon?" Jakotsu asked, still next to Renkotsu.

Bankotsu looked up trying to lock on to the demon's whereabouts "We're not demon slayers, but none the less I'm here to put an end to you"

The nasally laugh continued "Oh? Is that so? Well then you obviously have no idea who you're messing with" A thick Red poison was shot out of some trees, and headed in the direction of Jakotsu and Renkotsu. "MOVE!" Renkotsu yelled as the two moved out of the way. Jakotsu shot out his Jakotsuto at the direction the poison was coming from, but made no contact. The laugh continued "What's the matter, can't find me?"

"Where's this bastard's voice coming from?" Bankotsu asked out loud. Again, the laugh continued "No one who has entered my forest has survived, you'll all be killed by my poison" this time the red smoke appeared from all directions. Renkotsu and Bankotsu both took high ground in the tree tops, but Jakotsu moved too slowly. Jakotsu fell to his knees coughing, before falling to the floor. "JAKOTSU!" Bankotsu yelled, "But, how?" Renkotsu asked confused to himself. The voice continued "You thought you were clever wearing face masks. This poison enters through the skin and eyes" this time the laugh continued to ring out for a much longer laugh. Bankotsu's eyes slanted down in anger as he jumped out of the tree towards another. He landed a punch on something, and that something landed on the floor, head first. Bankotsu landed next to the culprit with his Banryu at the demons neck. When the red smoke cleared completely Renkotsu joined Bankotsu's side. "HOW- HOW DID YOU FIND ME!?" the demon asked, to the point of tears. "Your damn annoying laugh that's how" Banryu's blade went closer towards the neck. Renkotsu stopped as he leaned in for a closer look at the demon. He was short, and had large bug eyes. He wore an all white robe, and was carrying a type of basket on his back "Hold on a sec, Big brother" Renkotsu started "...our demon, is nothing more than a human"

The culprit nodded fiercely "yeah-yeah-yeah, I'm just a poor defenseless human. You-you-you wouldn't kill me would you?"

Again Banryu's blade went closer towards the neck "Why the hell wouldn't I" his eyes slanted down angrily towards the little man "You hurt Jakotsu"

The man waved his hands dismissively "Not to worry..." he cried out desperately "...At my home, I have an antidote that can cure your boyfriend!"

Banryu's blade was close enough to easily slice the man's head off now "HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!!!"

"OF COURSE NOT!!! MY APOLIGIES!!!" the man cried out. "We better hurry Brother Bankotsu" Renkotsu already successfully lifted Jakotsu onto his shoulders. "Lead the way little man" Bankotsu spat out as the small man started into the thick smog.

____________________________________

"You live here?" Renkotsu asked. They arrived at a small shack that was surrounded by dead plants, and a pond, that looked to be black "I know it's not much, but its home" the man shrugged. They entered the small shack, and the man pored a liquid from a small vile into Jakotsu's mouth "He'll be awake by nightfall"

"For your sake I hope so" Bankotsu stood, leaning against the wall. "Not to worry..." the man started "...Mukotsu's concoctions never fail, I can guarantee you that"

"Mukotsu huh?" Renkotsu began "...you are human, so how is it that the humans say you've been terrorizing their village for 80 yrs?"

Mukotsu's nasally laugh resurfaced "Let's just say I took over the family business"

"Family Business?"

"That's right. I come from a long line of poison brewers. The past three generations of my family have lived here. The villagers assumed we were demons, and we get all the comforts of there offerings"

Bankotsu looked around "Then how is it that you still live in this dump?"

"Well, to be honest I keep all the treasures in a different location. I don't want them to be damaged by my poison" he was right the shack they were in looked rather torn down, most likely from Mukotsu's excessive poison use. Bankotsu looked down at Jakotsu "Then we'll move Jakotsu there, he'll do better once he's away from all this poison"

"Well good luck" Mukotsu waved. "Oh no" Bankotsu started "You're coming too. Take us to your other place"

Mukotsu didn't want to test Bankotsu and nodded "Oh, very well" he started to walk "...follow me"

They followed Mukotsu toward his other locations, and Bankotsu stared at the ground as they walked. There were tons of human bones that lined the path. They finally arrived to a cave, and Renkotsu sighed, carrying Jakotsu on his back, "This is your other location? It's a cave"

"Now, now, don't be too hasty" Mukotsu smiled. They entered the cave, and again human remains were seen through out. They came to a room of the cave, and Renkotsu understood what Mukotsu meant. The cave was beautifully furnished, with excess stuff. "Impressive" he spoke, gently placing Jakotsu down on a type of pillow. "Why thank you" Mukotsu laughed. "So, Mukotsu" Bankotsu began "...what's with all the human bones...they're all of women"

Mukotsu looked around guiltily "...no reason"

Bankotsu had his arms crossed as he spoke, his Banryu leaning against the cave wall "no reason? You had your way with these women then killed them. Did your poison burn the flesh off of these humans?" he knelt down closer to see that the kimono's on the skeletons, seemed almost bran new. "...well..." Mukotsu spoke nervously, twiddling his fingers. Bankotsu looked back at the small man with a smile "Not bad Mukotsu. Your poison is most effective"

Mukotsu smiled at this, understanding that this didn't anger Bankotsu "Oh, well thank you. I was beginning to think that you would kill me, if you knew the truth"

"Oh?" Bankotsu started waiting for Mukotsu to continue. "I gave these women a chance to be lucky enough to be my bride..."

"Really" Renkotsu spoke, slightly disgusted with the thought. "Yes, but in the end none of them were fit enough. I had no choice, but to kill them" his hands fisted as he spoke.

"Why cause your face is disgusting?"

The three men looked down to see Jakotsu awakening, "What did you say?!" Mukotsu spoke angrily. Jakotsu whacked the short man in the back of the head "HEY! I SHOULD BE YELLING AT YOU!!!" he stopped and held his head in pain "...Dammit I feel sick"

"Good to see you awake, Jakotsu" Bankotsu smiled. "Thanks big Brother" he looked down at the small man with the lump on his head "so...this was the supposed fearsome demon?" Jakotsu asked in disbelief. Renkotsu nodded "Yes, this is the poison master Mukotsu"

Mukotsu sat back up "Yes, and I'm the one who healed you" he folded his arms defensively. Jakotsu fisted his hands angrily "YEAH, YOUR ALSO THE ONE WHO POISONED ME!!!"

"Enough Jakotsu" Bankotsu smiled. "Huh?" Jakotsu turned to look at his big brother. "How would you like to join us?" Bankotsu asked the small man. "Join you?" Mukotsu repeated. Bankotsu nodded "I'm forming a group of mercenaries for hire. Your poison and antidotes will be most useful"

Mukotsu pondered this, still a little unsure. Bankotsu sensed this and smiled "You can have all the pretty women you want, we will be traveling all over. Besides, doesn't it get boring hanging around the same village your whole life" Bankotsu asked remembering his old village. Mukotsu smiled "well, I suppose I should give it a try. I can try my poisons on multitudes of people" his nasally laugh appeared "It sounds like you have a new member on your team, captain"

Bankotsu smiled at Mukotsu's words "Captain huh? I like the sound of that" he looked at Renkotsu "Renkotsu, you're my second in command, how does Captain sound?"

Jakotsu rolled his eyes; he knew that Renkotsu was above him in rank just by being around him. Of course, now he _had_ to listen to Renkotsu, because of what Bankotsu just said. Renkotsu was a little taken aback by Bankotsu's comment, but quickly got over it "...I think it sounds fine big brother"

"Well okay then" Bankotsu turned to leave "Come on guys, we got to get back to the others"

The three followed Bankotsu, who was pleased with the day's events, and now he was more excited than before to find the last member of his Band of Seven.

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**Take a guess who the last member of the BO7 will be, LOL. Thanks your comments, they're always appreciated. I'm already working on the next chapter; I want it to be really good. Again please respond.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	14. Bankotsu: The Castle Town

_**Bankotsu: The Castle Town**_

The band of six were sitting near a river, taking a break from their continuous walking. Bankotsu was leaning against a rock, with his Banryu resting at his side. He appeared to be talking to himself, and after a few seconds he would let out words like "Dammit" before punching the ground.

Jakotsu was playing with his Jakotsuto, while watching his brother's strange antics. Renkotsu was in the process of helping Ginkotsu clean his weapons, and was also watching his leader, curious, but not enough to ask Bankotsu why. Kyokotsu was laying on the ground, obviously oblivious to Bankotsu's suffering.

After a few more minutes of watching Bankotsu and his excessive 'dammits', Jakotsu looked at Renkotsu "Do you know what his problem is?"

Renkotsu shook his head, knowing what Jakotsu was talking about "Can't say that I do"

"He's acting like a crazy person"

"You're one to talk" Renkotsu mumbled under his breath. Jakotsu blinked not hearing his brother's comment "What?"

"Big brother is trying to figure something out, just give him some time"

Jakotsu sighed, and crossed his arms, "Fine, but I'm getting so tired of this"

Renkotsu turned his head to look at Jakotsu for the first time. He jumped of his mechanical brother, and was washing the oil from his hands with an extra blue scarf "What do you mean?"

"I haven't been able to go on the hunt for good looking men ever since we started looking for Band of Seven members" he sighed. Renkotsu rolled his eyes, and walked back to Ginkotsu "I'm sorry I asked"

"I'm back" a small nasally laugh broke out. Jakotsu rolled his eyes and fell to the floor knowing who it was. Renkotsu looked at the small man "Oh welcome back Mukotsu, did you find what you needed?"

Mukotsu nodded, and pointed to the basket on his back "Yes, this forest had most of the supplies I needed for my poisons" Mukotsu smiled. On his face, were two large red stripes that went from his cheek to under his large bug eyes. Mukotsu's smile left his face when he saw Bankotsu, on the other side of the river, let out a "No, that's so stupid!"

Mukotsu looked at Renkotsu "What's wrong with the captain? He was doing that when I left"

Jakotsu let out a loud groan and looked at Renkotsu "Can't we go raid the village over?"

"Enough Jakotsu" he spoke sternly. Jakotsu sat up and stared at the second in command "How come Mukotsu gets to leave" he pointed with a pout on his face. Renkotsu rolled his eyes "He was getting supplies"

Jakotsu crossed his arms, and looked away from Renkotsu angrily. "Perhaps someone should stop him" Ginkotsu spoke breaking the tension. Jakotsu smiled "Yeah good idea. Why doesn't the 'second in command' give it a shot?" he mocked. Renkotsu gave a small twitch and turned away "No, he needs his space"

"Yeah you're just scared, cuz Bankotsu looks pissed" Jakotsu mumbled. Renkotsu caught the gist of what Jakotsu said, but chose to ignore him. "I got it!" Bankotsu rose, and landed his fisted hand into his open palm. The other five quickly looked at their leader, for an explanation. "Got what?" Jakotsu asked. "I got an idea of who our last member can be"

"You know of someone?" Kyokotsu asked, finally getting up from his lazy position. "Well…no, but I figured out the kind of warrior we need"

Renkotsu nodded, interested with what Bankotsu's idea would be "Well, go on big brother"

"We need someone who can fight on close quarters combat"

"How do you figure?" Jakotsu crossed his arms confused. "Well you, Mukotsu, Renkotsu, and Ginkotsu fight from a distance. Kyokotsu fights in close range, but he's kinda slow, and I fight with my Banryu in close combat. We need to find a man whose fast, deadly, and can really do damage when he's right next to you" He smiled "That will make it even between the seven of us"

Renkotsu nodded, he would have figure the same thing out in a few minutes, but none the less Bankotsu had a good idea. "Well where to now, captain?" Mukotsu asked with a smile. "We head out" Bankotsu placed his Banryu on his shoulder's with a thud, and started walking threw the forest, followed by the other five.

It was hard to find the last member of the band of mercenaries. The group followed a few leads, but they were always disappointments. Bankotsu would find them to be inadequate and have them killed, or they were just mindless demons that Bankotsu would kill. After a week or two of traveling Bankotsu added ten more demons to his list, and made a total of 907 demon deaths.

"Brother Bankotsu!" Jakotsu ran over to his brother. The group was walking down a path, and Jakotsu was now at his big brothers side "I think that there's a castle up ahead"

Bankotsu nodded "Yeah, I know"

It night was falling, and their vision was starting to leave them. Jakotsu sighed when his brother didn't catch the hint "So, you want to stop in an inn or something?" Jakotsu asked. Bankotsu had a small smile on his face as he spoke "Don't be ridiculous, we're just passing through"

"Yeah, but…" Jakotsu sighed. Renkotsu cut off the remainder of Jakotsu's complaining "Stop your whining Jakotsu"

Mukotsu let out a nasally laugh at Jakotsu's pouting, which was followed by an innocent kick in his direction by Jakotsu. "Hey" Mukotsu yelled back. Bankotsu placed his arm out to his left and motioned for silence. A loud sound was coming their way "It sounds like horses" Renkotsu spoke. Bankotsu nodded "Yeah, get ready" as soon as he spoke his crew jumped to fighting position. A large group of samurais were now in front of them, and some were on horse back. The one who was apparently in charge was carrying a large pike. He pointed it directly at Bankotsu's neck. Bankotsu made no movements, and simply stared at the above man, awaiting an explanation. "Turn your direction, or reserve yourself to death" The general spoke. He wasn't anything special, just an ordinary looking general, Bankotsu thought. Like any other general Bankotsu faced, he spoke as if he was more powerful then he was, he wielded a weapon that he couldn't wield to its full potential, and he was overly loyal to his lord and castle. The general continued "did you not hear me, fool?"

Bankotsu spat at this with a small "heh" and his cocky smile infuriated the man. "How dare you!" the general spoke in a low toned growl. He placed out his arm and a group of sword wielders surrounded the group. Bankotsu's expression didn't change as he stared at the general. A strange chill ran down the generals back. They were outnumbered, but that cocky child's expression hadn't changed. "Prepare to be killed" the general commanded. Bankotsu's bangs covered his eyes as he spoke "…Jakotsu…"

As soon as the words were spoken all the men that surrounded the group were slashed to the ground. Jakotsu pulled back his sword with a look of excitement on his face. The general's eyes widened with fright. Bankotsu smile widened as he saw this. He knew that this general was like all the others, they acted tougher than they were. The look of fear was pathetically masked as the general yelled for his second battalion. A group of archers appeared before the group. The same smile appeared on Bankotsu's lips as he spoke "…Renkotsu…" a soon as the words were spoken a blast of fire engulfed the archers. "You're demons!" The general yelled, pointing at Bankotsu with his pike in a panic. Bankotsu shook his head "Demons? Don't be stupid"

"You might have been able to destroy the villages surrounding ours, but my lords castle will not fall to a bunch of low level demons!!!!" the general yelled as he cocked his pike back to strike down on Bankotsu. The assault was easily dodged, and ended with Banryu gracefully chopping off the generals head "98" Bankotsu smiled. He back stepped quickly towards his group when the remaining soldiers ran towards him "Ginkotsu" Bankotsu smiled. The mechanical man unleashed his large razors, and successfully killed the rest of the soldiers. "Not bad men" Bankotsu smiled.

"Strange, they must have thought we were someone in particular" Mukotsu thought as he rubbed his chin. Renkotsu had his arms crossed as he looked at Bankotsu "I agree, but their wasn't any destroyed villages from the direction we were coming from"

Bankotsu wiped off the remainder of blood and looked at the other mercenaries "The one they were pursuing must be tough. Did you see how many men that they sent to kill him?"

"Are we gonna go find this one?" Jakotsu asked. Renkotsu nodded "If he wasn't coming from our direction, I assume that if we continue through the castle we might be able to find out the direction he's coming from, and eventually run into him"

"Can we at least kill the people we find in the castle?"

"There's no need…" Kyokotsu smiled "I think our guy beat us there"

Bankotsu and Jakotsu turned to see a large amount of smoke above the castle. Bankotsu smiled as he started towards the castle. He turned to the men behind him "Let's get a move on men!"

They all quickened their speed after Bankotsu. When they arrived at the castle they found it to be in chaos. There weren't any soldiers around to protect the screaming villager, probably because Bankotsu had them all killed. The band of six stared at the scene curious to find the cause. "We'll split up" Bankotsu yelled at his group" Mukotsu and Kyokotsu. Ginkotsu and Renkotsu, and Jakotsu's with me. Got it"

The group all gave there nods of approval and went their separate ways. Bankotsu noticed that the dead humans they found were slashed open, almost like a sword…no more like claws. "Brother Bankotsu!" Jakotsu yelled as a figure was seen in front of them. Bankotsu took notice and stopped. The scene looked familiar to Bankotsu. There was a man standing over a pile of corpses. He pulled his hand back as his latest victim fell to the floor. Jakotsu blinked at the scene "whoa" he worded out. The shadowed man quickly turned at that comment and ran towards the two brothers. "GET BACK JAKOTSU!" Bankotsu yelled as he ran in front of Jakotsu.

The man slashed down at the Banryu, with what appeared to be man made claws of some kind. Bankotsu quickly pushed the man back with his Banryu. He stared at his opponent's appearance. Something was different about this one, but what? The man had spiked black hair, and had the expression of a wild animal. He growled at Bankotsu with his claws bared, and ran towards him again. Bankotsu continued to block the on slot of attacks with his Banryu, a strange expression on his face. "Brother Bankotsu" Jakotsu yelled "Are you okay?"

Bankotsu slightly turned to see Jakotsu, but it was all the man needed. A slash mark landed on Bankotsu's arm. Bankotsu quickly flipped back, and gave Jakotsu an annoyed type of pout. Jakotsu rubbed the back of his head "…oops…sorry"

The man smiled as Bankotsu's blood dripped off his claws "So…are you going to fight me or run away?"

Bankotsu's eyes narrowed at the man, and he placed Banryu into the ground besides Jakotsu "Don't get so cocky…you're injured too"

The man smirked at Bankotsu. He was right he had injured himself not too long ago. He didn't remember when or how it happened, but it was during one of his villager slaughters. Actually, there was quite a bit of injuries on him. "_Is that why that bastard didn't attack me"_ the man thought. He didn't feel the pain; rather he refused to acknowledge it. His chest was bleeding through his brown kimono, and his left arm had a deep gash in it, probably from a type of farming utensil. He also had a limp in his leg, and a slash running down his back. The man started to laugh at this "Is that so? But which of us can last longer, huh?"

The man charged Bankotsu again, but his attack was dodged. The man continued to relentlessly charge Bankotsu without any intentions of stopping. Bankotsu jumped to the side, with his bleeding arm held to his chest. The clawed man missed his target, and his claws landed in the burning wood of a house. The man turned to the side in time to see Bankotsu's fist land into his face. The man was sent through the burning house, and landed hard on the floor. The tried to rise, but the pain he had been ignoring caught up with him and he fell back to the floor. Thoughts ran through his head as he tried to rise. Why was he even doing this? He enjoyed it, but when did it start? Why couldn't he remember anything, and why was this bastard kid attacking him? Bankotsu looked at the fallen man, and moved to enter the burning hovel, but to Bankotsu's dismay the burning house came crashing down on the clawed warrior.

"Dammit" Bankotsu growled "You better not be dead"

He quickly ran towards the house and began to remove the burning debris from the injured man. Bankotsu turned as he saw Jakotsu help out as well. Jakotsu smiled at his brother, and Bankotsu nodded as the two continued. The man's face was finally seen, and unconscious. Bankotsu grabbed the injured man, and carried him away from the fire. Bankotsu panted, as he fell to the floor besides Jakotsu, the injured man, and Banryu. "Brother Bankotsu!" Renkotsu yelled accompanied by the rest of the band of six. "Is all well brother?" Kyokotsu asked. Bankotsu rose, and nodded "Yeah. Mukotsu we're gonna need your help"

Mukotsu looked at Bankotsu's arm and nodded "I see captain, but you shouldn't worry that injury is deep, but it should heel fine"

Bankotsu shook his head and looked down at the injured man "not me, him"

Mukotsu walked over to see the man better, and his expression looked more serious "oooh I see. He has quite a bit of injuries. Some of these look to be quite old, he must have been fighting for a while, days probably" he looked over towards Kyokotsu "Would you mind carrying him? We need to get him out of this area, there's fire everywhere"

Kyokotsu nodded, and easily lifted the groaning man "Where to?"

Everyone turned towards Bankotsu. He pulled Banryu out of the ground, and began to walk "Let's hurry"

The group sat in a forest. Renkotsu had made a fire, and was busy working on something with it Jakotsu sat next to Bankotsu who still had a strange look on his face. Ginkotsu sat besides Kyokotsu near the entrance to a small cave. Mukotsu was inside the cave, helping treat the injured man's wounds. Bankotsu was holding the claws that the man had worn. They looked like knives attached to a type of glove. They were old, and worn out. Blood stained them completely. "So, what do you think" Jakotsu asked kicking his feet back and forth while sitting on a large rock. Bankotsu snapped out of his thoughts, and looked at Jakotsu "About what?"

Jakotsu blinked confused at his brothers confusion "about what?" he repeated "About that guy"

Bankotsu looked away "oh, I don't know"

Jakotsu rolled his eyes "Is he gonna be our newest member?"

Bankotsu remained lost in his thoughts again. Something wasn't right about this guy. According to Mukotsu he had been injured for days, and was most likely on a killing spree those days. Further more it was like those injuries didn't even bother him. "_And his expression. He was definitely ruthless, but there was something else about him too…he looked like he was_…"

"Big brother" Renkotsu cut off Bankotsu's thoughts, and knelt down to his brother's level. "Huh, what is it?" Bankotsu asked. He looked down to see what was in Renkotsu's hands. Renkotsu held clawed gloves similar in style to the mans. The blades shone beautifully, not yet stained by blood, and were much larger, deadlier. The gloves themselves were also new, and appeared to be made of some type of brown leather. Bankotsu smiled, "_So that's what Renkotsu was working on_" Bankotsu looked up at his brother "Thanks, they came out beautifully Renkotsu. I'm sure he'd enjoy them"

"What's the deal Mukotsu?" Jakotsu asked as Mukotsu exited the cave. "Well…" he smiled "you'll be glad to hear that he'll be making a full recovery"

"Very good Mukotsu" Renkotsu nodded. "Has he awakened yet?" Bankotsu asked. Mukotsu shook his head "Well…not really…."

"What do you mean?"

"Well he hasn't spoken to me, but he's been talking…to himself actually"

"To himself?" Jakotsu blinked. Mukotsu nodded "Yes, like he's having an argument with himself. Almost as if he's dreaming. I've never seen anyone dream like this before. He speaks in two different voices. I gave him a type of potion that should calm him down though"

Bankotsu looked to the side in deep thought, his eyes narrowed as he turned away from the group "_I knew there was something wrong with him…"_

"Captain, if I may…" Mukotsu started. Bankotsu snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Mukotsu to continue. "Well captain…" he continued "perhaps now I should turn to your injury"

Ginkotsu nodded "Gh-yes, Brother Mukotsu's right"

Bankotsu looked down at his still bleeding arm. He had almost forgotten all about his injury "oh…" he looked at his pleading brother's, and then to his arm. His entire sleeve had been covered in blood, and his brothers were all worried about it. He chuckled to himself; it wasn't as bad as it looked after all. He sat down and nodded at his smallest brother "Have at it Mukotsu" he smiled.


	15. Bankotsu: Memories

**Bankotsu: Memories**

The man exited the cave later that night. Everyone was sleeping much to his satisfaction. His claws were gone, and he stared at the small man by the entrance of the cave. He'd kill him if he had his claws with him. He looked down towards his chest and noticed his injuries, they were wrapped. He stopped walking when a light caught his eyes. Shinning from the light of the fire was a brand new pair of claws. They were much larger than the previous ones. He applied them on, a perfect fit. He looked back at the sleeping crew. There were four of them there. He didn't recognize any of them, but then again he couldn't remember anything.

Something in him stopped him from killing these men. He saw Mukotsu again. Yes, he looks familiar. He was the one who wrapped his injuries. He looked to the left and saw the face of Jakotsu. He was the strange man from before, but…There was someone else. There was another man who he should remember. There was a man with a giant weapon. They were enemies, weren't they? He remembered the man slamming his weapon against his claws, but he hadn't been fighting at his full swing. Then there was a voice that rang in his ears. The voice of the boy saying "you better not be dead" why would he care if he was dead or not? The man shook off his thoughts. He finally remembered something, but it was nothing worth remembering. He walked away from the strange sleeping group of four. Where was that strange boy?

The man traveled into the forest. He felt better than before, and again the thirst for blood filled him. He came to an empty field that was surrounded by forest. He looked at the sky for a moment and pressed on again. He stopped as a voice spoke "So, looks like you've awoken. A little earlier than I would have hoped"

The man growled. He recognized the voice. It was the voice of the kid who pulled him out of the flames. Why would he remember this voice and nothing else? He turned to face the man. A firm look in his face as be bared his claws. Why was this boy so different?

The boy forced a smile "I see" he took a step closer "It looks like you've found those claws that Renkotsu made for you. They fit rather well"

The man gave no answer. He wanted to slice the boy's neck off. He wanted to see just how strong this kid actually was. Maybe he wanted to see what was so different about him. Why did his voice remain a memory? "Who are you?" the man asked plainly.

Bankotsu forced smile seemed to veil an amount of sadness "I'm called Bankotsu. Traveling with me is a group of mercenaries. I am their leader"

"A group of killers, huh?" he was surprised that he was speaking to this man. He was having a conversation without trying to kill someone "You try to kill me for my actions, but you are no better than me?" he smiled at the thought. Bankotsu crossed his arms, and his head gave a small tilt "No, I think you have this confused. I have no intention of killing you. If anything I admire what it is that you do"

"Is that so?" he spoke softly, Bankotsu was starting to aggravate him "It's too bad that I have no such interest in you" he lunged his new claws at Bankotsu. He was surprised to find that the kid easily dodged them. "Answer me a question" Bankotsu asked "Why do you speak to yourself in your nightmares? What is it that makes you fight with yourself?"

The man's eyes widened for a second. How was it that this kid new? The man lunged at the kid again, and again it was dodged "Why don't you answer me?" Bankotsu asked again "And while you're at it, why not tell me why you didn't give me your name?"

The man gritted his teeth at the kid. This Bankotsu looked like a fool at first glance, but he already had an idea about who he was. "Enough!" the man yelled. This time the large weapon appeared out of nowhere and blocked the man's assault. Bankotsu continued to speak as his grip tightened on Banryu's hilt "I know the answer" he looked at the man with seriousness in his eyes "I know that you don't remember anything. Do you? You just kill because something in you is telling you too, and you don't even know what that thing is"

They broke away from their deadlock "You cocky little…" the man growled. "Don't take it out on me" Bankotsu replied "I'm just surprised that you remembered me. After all you didn't even seem to remember getting those injuries I found you with"

"Just because I remember you doesn't mean I won't slaughter you where you stand" he growled. Bankotsu's eyes widened in a sarcastic confusion "Is that so? Then why is it that you didn't kill the other members of my band of mercenaries?"

He continued to glare at Bankotsu. Was that jerk watching the whole time? He was right though, why didn't he desire to kill any of those men, and why did he remember their faces? "Why don't you join my group, huh? If being around me helps you remember, then maybe your memory will come back" Bankotsu's veiled face returned as he looked at the man. The man stared at Bankotsu. How did it come to this? "You want to remember don't you?" Bankotsu asked. The man lowered his claws "Join you, huh?"

Bankotsu nodded "Yeah, we already know you enjoy killing. Think of how many you'll be able to slice through"

The man thought of this for a second and looked back at the sky. He needed to remember how he came to be, and maybe this Bankotsu would help him to remember. "Why you?" he asked "How is it that I remember meeting you, and your friends and nothing else?"

Bankotsu looked up in full thought. He lowered his head after a few seconds, and looked at the clawed man. The man looked over his back at Bankotsu for an answer. Bankotsu smiled when he was satisfied with his idea "You've been traveling from village to village killing whoever you ran into. Perhaps when you were finally finished letting out your rage, you found someone who wasn't scared of you. You found people who were ready to except you for who you were; killer and all. Everyone is strange in their own way. You're no different, except, you're not going to live by the normal standards of humans. Perhaps the human race despises you too, and we all understand that. Perhaps you remember because you have found friends amongst your own kind"

"Nicely spoken" the man smirked "Perhaps that is true. All humans that I have fought and killed were cowards. Killing them brings me great joy"

Bankotsu smiled "All of us share your views on that. Traveling with us, I think you'll be able to find a safe enough place to let your memories return. We're not gonna judge you I mean"

"I'll accept your invitation then Bankotsu, if anything to reawaken my memories"

"So what do we call you until that time?"

"I require no name until I can remember it on my own"

Bankotsu nodded "I understand, but there is one more matter we need to discuss" he walked over to the confused looking man.

The two walked through the forest. The man with no name walked behind the shorter man. The shorter man had a satisfied smile on his face. The man knew this and smirked at it. On his face he had green markings, and if he didn't know any better he resembled a demon. Two green stripes fell down his forehead and two came running up his cheek. Bankotsu had called them divine markings, and they were supposed to stay on. Similar to a tattoo, just with no needle, Bankotsu said. He also said that it signified his membership into their brotherhood. They returned to the campsite, and found that everyone was still in slumber. Bankotsu leaned against a rock besides the strange looking cross dresser. The man returned back to the cave, walking past the smaller man and the large giant. He felt the pain of his injuries and remembered how he received them.

**Okay, I think that the complexity of the "nameless" warrior, is one of Takahashi's most impressive use character dynamics, and shows just how in depth she went in making this character. That said I wanted to be very precise in writing about him. You'll all be able to see where I'm going with this the "Nameless" warrior in a bit, but until then enjoy the ride. That said, I love hearing from you guys. And Thanks to the ones who comment on every chapter. For those of you who don't comment on my chapters, I'd really appreciate it if you did.**

**Again, and as always, much love,**

**Merky15**


	16. Bankotsu: The Mission

**Bankotsu: The Mission**

"So, he doesn't remember anything?" Jakotsu asked Bankotsu. The finally complete band of mercenaries started on their journey eastward. According to Renkotsu, there were many wars happening in the eastern lands as of late. Bankotsu nodded slightly annoyed. He had already explained this to the group before breakfast, "Yes, Jakotsu"

"How come?"

Bankotsu turned to look at his newest member, "I don't know"

The nameless man was walking behind the rest of the group. He was silent and carried a sad demeanor about him. He was constantly being plagued by dreams, but he couldn't figure out the meaning. Who was he? The only thing that made any sense to him was death, was causing death.

It was a long journey to the east. Bankotsu was sure that once he had gotten his band together everything would play smoothly out. What he didn't recognize was the fact that he had to find someone to hire him.

After a week of traveling they managed to come across a very large castle. Bankotsu smiled. It finally looked like things were going to get interesting. The guard duty around the castle was very high. They must be having some confrontation going on.

When the group of seven reached the large gates of the castle town, the guards stared down at the seven men with a look of uneasiness about them. One of the guards shouted from above, "What is it that you want?"

Bankotsu stepped foreword, "We're here to speak with the lord of this castle"

"For what purpose?" a different guard asked. Bankotsu grinned. As if he needed permission. He could more than easily invade this castle, it looked defenseless enough. Bankotsu ignored his thoughts and spoke, "It is regarding the upcoming war"

"Are you working for Asama Castle?!" the second guard yelled. Renkotsu stepped forward shaking his head, "We are mercenaries for hire"

Bankotsu nodded, "We are called the Band of Seven. You'd be wise to speak with you Lord about us"

The guard looked the small group over. Yes, they appeared formidable enough, especially the larger members. "Wait here" he spoke with a tone of superiority before walking out of site.

After about ten minutes the gates began to lower. The guard from before awaited them, "Follow me"

"Not very trusting are they" Jakotsu whispered to Mukotsu. Surrounding them were a group of soldiers. "You can't blame them" Mukotsu giggled, "It appears that they are in a time of war"

Jakotsu shrugged, "Still, they could be a little hospitable"

Cutting through the crowd was a man sitting on a horse. All of the soldiers quickly moved out of the man's way. Bankotsu assumed that this man had to be the Lord. The man looked down to Bankotsu as he spoke, "What is it that you want?"

Bankotsu smiled. After all his waiting his crew would finally be able to start on their missions. "I am called Bankotsu, and I am the Leader of the Band of Seven. We've come to offer our services as mercenaries for your upcoming war"

"I see" the Lord looked over the men in thought, "Some of your men seem strong enough, but you appear to be a mere child"

A short, "HA" was heard somewhere in the back of Bankotsu's crew. Bankotsu immediately recognized the voice as Jakotsu. He sent the man a glare, before returning to the Lord, "It isn't wise to underestimate people. Especially when that persons holding a weapon" he made emphasis on his Banryu. One of the guards growled at this, "Are you threatening my Lord!?"

Renkotsu rubbed his temples. What was he trying to do? If he kept going like this they would never make it as mercenaries. Bankotsu shook his head, "Don't be ridiculous. I'm just saying that Asama Castle has already made us a large offer for our services. Our legacy is feared in the west. More than a hundred castles have fallen to our power, but I'm not a completely unreasonable man…"

The lord nodded, "I see, you will fight for me if I sweeten the deal"

Bankotsu gave an innocent smile, "I try not to take sides when it comes to wars. Getting in the middle and figuring out who started what is a sticky business. That being said, my allegiance falls to the highest bidder"

Jakotsu looked at the scene with confusion, "What the hell's he talk…"

The nameless warrior elbowed Jakotsu in the gut before his sentence was finished. Jakotsu gave an angry pout before crossing his arms in silence.

The Lord gave a curt nod, "I see. You speak as if you've done this for years. You're very shrewd. I hope you can battle as well as you can speak" he nodded to a man behind him. The man came running over to the man's side. The Lord took hold of two largely filled bags from the man, and tossed one to Bankotsu. Bankotsu tossed it up and down in his hands a few times to measure the weight. When he was satisfied he looked back to the Lord. The Lord noticed the pleasure in Bankotsu's voice and spoke, "You will receive the other half as payment when the war is decided"

Bankotsu nodded, "Sounds fair. So, what's the plan?"

The Lord continued, "We will be going to war this night with Asama Castle's Army in the mid way battle grounds. During such time, you will attack Asama castle. Destroy the rest of the army that they have waiting there"

Bankotsu gave a nod, "Looks like we have a deal. When the castle is annihilated I will return here for the rest of the payment"

The lord nodded before he turned back to leave.

The group of seven headed back through the gates. The Lord didn't trust them enough to be waiting inside his castle, and Bankotsu didn't blame him. Jakotsu turned to the leader, "What was with all those lies you were throwing at the Lord? We haven't even been to Asama Castle much less any wars"

Bankotsu gave a small chuckle as he threw the bag of payment to Renkotsu. Renkotsu caught it quickly before opening the contents to see the amount for himself.

Bankotsu looked back at Jakotsu, "They wouldn't have hired us if I told them we were new at this, but don't worry. After this mission we won't need to exaggerate our story. Everyone will know us all to well"

The group laughed at the evil expression Bankotsu had on his face. Everyone knew what he meant, and none had any thoughts to the contrary. After the damage they would bring to Asama Castle the Band of Seven's name would no longer be unknown.

___________________________________

**Sorry it took me soooo long to post the next chapter but I was going through the worst writers block. I know it's short, but hopefully I can put up the next chapter soon**. **Thanks for reading, and please remember to comment.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	17. Bankotsu: Identity

**Bankotsu: Identity **

Renkotsu suggested that they waited until it was dark before they started their attack. According to him, it would have been the best time to catch their opponents off guard. Bankotsu agreed. They waited in the forest, Asama castle in their view.

"So, do you remember how old you are?" Jakotsu asked the nameless warrior at his side. The man sighed in annoyance. This had to of been the hundredth question he had been asked by Jakotsu, "…no"

"How about your old village?"

"No"

"Did you have any family?"

"No, I mean I don't remember"

"Do you remember…why you don't remember?"

Renkotsu caught the annoyed expression of their newest ally, a face he understood too well as the face you received when you spoke to Jakotsu for an extended period of time, "That's a redundant question Jakotsu"

Jakotsu blinked, "What does that mean?"

Great now he was getting that annoyed expression, "It means, enough with the questions" he shot back.

Mukotsu giggled at the scene and turned to look at Bankotsu who appeared to be in serious thought, "What's the deal captain? It's going to be night soon"

Kyokotsu smiled with anticipation, "It can be considered night now"

"Calm down, we'll be attacking soon enough" Bankotsu smiled at the eagerness his allies displayed. It would be dark soon, and that would mean the perfect time to attack. Another hour or so and they would get started. "Renkotsu?"

Renkotsu turned his attention from preparing Ginkotsu to the leader, "Yes, Brother Bankotsu?"

"What do you think is the best plan of action? I'm thinking that Ginkotsu could blast down the castle walls and then the rest of us go inside and finish the job"

Renkotsu nodded, "Yes, that sounds like it would work out fine"

"I SAID I DON'T KNOW"

Bankotsu and Renkotsu both turned there attention to Jakotsu and the newest Band of Seven member. The nameless man was standing with an angry grimace on his face. Jakotsu mouth was agape in confusion. Renkotsu rolled his eyes, "I told him to stop pestering him"

It was at this time that the clawed warrior noticed that all eyes were on him. He shook his head in aggravation and turned to leave deeper into the forest. Despite his large foreboding appearance, Kyokotsu was rather uncomfortable with the situation, "Should we follow?" he suggested openly. Bankotsu shook his head at this, "Nah, he just needs some space"

Mukotsu sent a mischievous scowl towards Jakotsu, "Nice going, you scared him away"

"WHAT?!! All I did was ask him a question you ugly little worm"

Renkotsu rolled his eyes, "Can the two of you shut it. We have more important things to worry about, such as our plan of action"

Jakotsu crossed his arms and pouted in a way that resembled a three year old being put in time out. Bankotsu leaned against the tree trying to listen to Renkotsu's plan, but he found that he was far too excited to concentrate.

__________________________________________

The nameless warrior continued to walk through the forest without any destination in mind. Jakotsu's questions rang through his head, serving as a reminder of what little he actually knew about who he was. The more he tried to remember the more his head would swarm with voices of past memories and the throbbing unbearable pain.

He continued his walk for about thirty minutes and was now very deep in the unknown territory. He placed his hand to his head in a panic. The pain was coming. He fell to his knees with his forehead clutched in both hands. The pain wasn't leaving and continued to grow. Everything went black as he fell to the floor. All he could concentrate on was the throbbing and nothing else.

Right when the pain began to seem unending, he heard the sound of voices. They sounded so distant but he knew that they were but a few feet away from him. The first one sounded like a young woman. She called out to another, "Oh My goodness" she sounded desperate, "Ichi come quick!!!"

The next voice was of a young man, "What happened? Is he okay?"

Were they talking about him? He couldn't help but wonder. That was all he cold recall. His mind went deeper into the abyss and he went with it.

______________________________________

"Damn! Where the hell's that guy?" Jakotsu's foot began to tap in annoyance, "He up and leaves on us when we're gonna make our depute"

"Don't go blaming him" Mukotsu started, while preparing his numerous concoctions, "You're the one who ran him off, remember?"

"Don't go starting that again…" Jakotsu scowled, "It's not my fault the man forgot everything about his life"

Renkotsu looked back at the bickering two and decided to put in his own opinion, "You don't have to continuously remind him of his situation Jakotsu. It's hard enough not remembering, and he doesn't need someone like you to bring it up every five seconds"

Jakotsu crossed his arms and sent Renkotsu a curious glare, "What do you mean someone like you"

Mukotsu giggled, "He means, people who have the habit of irritating those around them"

Jakotsu's foot landed on the back of Mukotsu's head while he was in mid laugh, causing a small thump to land on the floor. "Enough" Bankotsu reprimanded with a smile, "We have more important things to worry about. We'll worry about our missing man later. Right now, we have a job to see to"

Ginkotsu nodded, "Gh-Yes"

Jakotsu tightened his grip on his snake sword, "Really!? Well, it's about time"

Bankotsu smiled. Finally the first mission of the Band of Seven could begin.

____________________________________

"Are you okay?"

A young unconscious man awoke from his apparent slumber. His shoulder length brown hair fell lazily, and was covered in sweat. His brown eyes fell to the young woman in front of him. She wore a simple kimono, and her black hair was held back by a bandanna, "Where am I?" he asked simply. The woman smiled, "You are okay. My husband and I found you in the forest. Tell me was someone attacking you?"

"I-I don't recall" he spoke as if he was still in a daze. He could only recall a few things, and everything else was fuzzy. "That's okay" the woman smiled, "You will be safe here. My name is Ina. My Husband Ichi will be here soon. He went to gather wood"

The man nodded, "You are very kind to bring me here"

"Don't mention it. I was always taught to help those who needed it. So, are you a type of warrior?"

The man shook his head, shocked that she would ask such a thing. Him, a warrior? The idea was rather ludicrous, "No, I am actually a physician. What would make you think I was a warrior?"

"Oh sorry. I assumed because of your weapons" she motioned to the gloved claws at his side. The doctor moved to retrieve them, but before he could, shivers went through his spine. Ina smiled at the man, "Tell me, what is your name?"

Name? Yes, he at least remembered his name, "I am doctor Suikotsu"

"Well Suikotsu, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. Actually, if you have nowhere else to go, I believe this castle could use another doctor"

"That sounds lovely" Suikotsu smiled, "Thank you"

Ina looked back at the door, "I wonder where Ichi is, he should have been back by now…"

"You seem uneasy"

"It's just that are castle is going to war tonight. I hope my husband is okay. The forest is far away from the battle field, but still…"

War? Somehow the situation was familiar… "I'm sure your husband will be fine"

Ina smiled at the doctor, "You are very kind doctor. I hope so as well"

Before Suikotsu could comment a loud explosion was heard in the distance. The sound of screams soon followed. The two quickly ran outside to see a mass of fleeing people. They were running from a direction that was emanating a mass amount of smoke. "_Fire?"_ the doctor pondered. "The castle is under attack!!!" Ina yelled. She ran towards the source of the commotion. Suikotsu quickly grabbed her hand, "Ina what are you doing?"

"Ichi is out there! I need to save him!"

Suikotsu shook his head, "No, you'll be killed"

She pulled her hand away, "I have to save my husband"

Suikotsu stared into the determined eyes of Ina and nodded, "I will go with you"

He ran back inside and looked down at the weapons that Ina found him with. Again the strange feeling consumed him, but he knew that it might be the only way to protect Ina and himself. While he could never kill another human being, he could still use the weapons as a bluff for escaping. He swallowed the feeling he was having and grabbed the gloves. He returned to Ina's side, and the two pushed through the crowd in search of Ichi.

____________________________________

"Look at them run!" Jakotsu laughed with a deranged look in his eyes. He had already managed to kill 10 rather muscular guards, and was ready for more. He released his Jakotsuto and successfully slaughtered another man. Renkotus wiped his mouth clean after having successfully released a blast of flames, "It's almost too easy"

Mukotsu giggled, "Ill say. Now if you don't mind I think I'll destroy that rather large looking estate. I saw a few ladies run for refuge"

Kyokotsu smiled at the small man on his shoulder, "Let me give you a hand"

Kyokotsu walked towards the large inn, and Mukotsu shot a large amount of green smoke inside. The sound of sizzling and screaming rang out, along with Mukotsu's laugh.

"Ginkotsu" Bankotsu began, after slicing down a few more men, "Send a blast towards the castle"

Ginkotsu nodded, "My pleasure"

____________________________________________

Ina fell over from the vibration a large rocket had caused. Suikotsu ran to her side, "Ina are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" she winced while she rose. He looked at the ankle, "You should be able to walk on it. It looks like just a small cut. Ina nodded, "Thank you"

Suikotsu helped her rise, and the two continued towards the forest. His heart began to beat at a higher pace. Who was able to cause such damage? Was it the invading army?

__________________________________________

"Hey big brother, check it out" Jakotsu called as he looked out in the distance. Bankotsu looked to see two villagers running closer towards them. "What are they stupid?" Jakotsu sneered, "Looks like they're asking for it"

Bankotsu smiled at his brother's comment. Most of the castle town was already destroyed by the invading band, and the lone villager's would be no exception. "I'll finish this" Bankotsu smiled as he ran towards the two people in the distance.

Ina and Suikotsu continued their search for Ichi. The forest was now in view, behind the burned down wall. "We're almost there" Ina called as she rushed towards the forest, but before she could reach her destination a large blade landed in front of her. Ina fell to the floor in surprise. She looked up to see a young man with long braided hair standing in front of her. He smirked below at his victim, carrying a large halberd, "Well, well, well"

Ina quickly scuttled back in fear, "Please-Please don't kill me"

"Sorry, I can't make exceptions" he shrugged indifferently. The man lifted his large blade, and prepared to close it down on the woman in front of him, "One hundred and thirty five"

A voice cut through the air, causing the halberd to stop in mid-swing, "STOP!"

Suikotsu ran behind Ina, panting. He looked up at the man, who had a dumbfounded expression on his face. The man's mouth was agape and his eye twitched in confusion. Suikotsu swallowed his fear and spoke, "Please, let her live. I beg of you"

The man stuck his blade in the floor and pointed at the man, "…What the hell?!"

"I-I beg your pardon?"

"What's the deal…and what happened to your divine marks?"

Suikotsu blinked in confusion, "I'm sorry, but I-I don't know…"

"Hey Bankotsu?"

The man, Bankotsu, turned around to see his familiar companion, "Hey Jakotsu, get a look at this"

Jakotsu stopped and looked down at the woman and the man at her side, "…I'm confused…what the hell are you doing down there? You should be joining the party"

"P-Party?" Suikotsu stammered.

Jakotsu placed his hand on his hip in a feminine fashion, "Yeah…" he looked at his leader, "He acts like he has no idea what's going on"

Ina turned to the man at her side in a whisper, "Doctor Suikotsu, take your chance and get out of here"

He shook his head, "No, I can not leave you"

"Suikotsu?" Bankotsu repeated, "So you remembered your name?" he smiled.

"What- what do you mean?" the doctor asked, at this point shivering.

Jakotsu scratched his head, "Okay, now I am confused…You're Suikotsu…That blood thirsty killer we met a couple of days ago. Remember? You couldn't remember anything"

"What!? No-no, I am a physician. I'm not a warrior of any sort"

Bankotsu folded his arms in thought, "Wow, you're more messed up than I thought"

"What's the delay, big brother?"

The two brother's turned around to see Renkotsu and Ginkotsu heading there way. Bankotsu smiled, "Perfect timing Renkotsu…where's the others"

Renkotsu smiled, "They are busy finishing off the other side of the castle. They are both rather impressive"

"No surprise" The leader smiled, "Perhaps you can help in explaining what's up with Suikotsu"

"Who's Suikotsu?"

"That's the name of our newest member" Bankotsu motioned to his own head, "Something's wrong with his brain"

Renkotsu nodded, still confused, "Where is he?"

Bankotsu looked back to where the two villagers were. "He's right…." he stopped when he noticed that no one was there. He looked around for a few seconds, "Where the hell did they go?"

He sent a dirty scowl towards Jakotsu, "Why weren't you watching them Jakotsu!?"

Jakotsu placed his hands out in defense, "Hey don't start on me. You never told me too"

Bankotsu gave up on his anger and let out a deep sigh, "Okay here's the plan: we split up. Jakotsu you're coming with me"

Still confused, Renkotsu looked at Bankotsu, "And we are looking for, this Suikotsu?"

Bankotsu nodded, "Yeah, he's with some wench. Don't go killing him though"

Renkotsu nodded in understanding and left with Ginkotsu to find Suikotsu.

________________________________________

Ina and Suikotsu arrived inside an empty shack. Ina leaned against the wall panting, "What are we going to do doctor? They are surely looking for us, and there's fire everywhere. We can't stay here for much longer"

Suikotsu nodded, "I know, but this hut isn't on fire yet. We still have time to think of a way out of this. Are you okay?"

She nodded, "I-I think so. Tell me doctor do you know those men?"

Suikotsu thought back, and a few flashes of the younger man's face played in his head. He held his head in pain, and shook away the memory, "…No, I-I've never seen them before"

"They seemed to have known you doctor"

"They must have confused me for someone else" he felt the gloves against his hip, where he had held them. Why did they seem so familiar? Why did that man seem so familiar?

"I'm scared" Ina chocked out. The doctor nodded, "As am I, but do not worry. I will try as hard as I can to protect you"

She nodded and gave a weak smile, "I am lucky to have found you then"

Suikotsu smiled at the complement, and looked down at the girl's ankle, remembering that she had hurt it recently. He moved closer to examine it, but stopped. His eye's widened in shock at the scene. Ina's ankle was covered in blood. The blood had dripped down all the way down to the bottom of her foot. Ina followed his gaze and smiled, "Do not worry. It is a small cut. The running we did just made the blood rush. I am fine, really"

Suikotsu fell back in shock, "No-no it's blood! It's blood!"

"Doctor?" Ina asked questioningly, "Are you okay?"

Suikotsu's hands grasped his head in pain, "BLOOD! BLOOD!"

The pain began to consume him and the blackness started to come again. The sound of screams and the smell of blood infiltrated his senses. What was happening? His mind began to race.

While the darkness began to consume him, he started to hear a familiar voice. It was so familiar, as if he had heard it before in a dream. The voice started out worried, _"you better not be dead" _

His grip on his head tightened as the voice continued, _"I know that you don't remember anything. Do you? You just kill because something in you is telling you too, and you don't even know what that thing is…"_

What was he talking about? Who was the voice? His mind began to pound, again his mind started to go into a daze and he found that he was getting confused. He was starting to forget again, but the voice returned, "_Perhaps you remember because you have found friends amongst your own kind…"_

Own kind? What was his kind? A scene started to play out in his head, and it seemed all too familiar.

He saw the boy, the boy with the giant weapon. What was strange was that the boy was smiling,_ "All of us share your views on that. Traveling with us, I think you'll be able to find a safe enough place to let your memories return. We're not gonna judge you I mean"_

He then heard his own voice answer. It sounded amused, _"I'll accept your invitation then Bankotsu, if anything to reawaken my memories"_

"Bankotsu_"_ Suikotsu spoke in between his head's painful spasms. He remembered? Yes, his mind was starting to remember. He remembered the strange man who would continuously ask him pointless questions, Jakotsu. He remembered the large mechanical man, Ginkotsu. He remembered, Renkotsu, Mukotsu, and Kyokotsu. His mind stopped. He remembered the boy with the large weapon. The one who had saved him and accepted him as a friend, Bankotsu.

His head stopped hurting. He remembered who he was. He remembered that he was born from that doctor's cowardice. He was Suikotsu of the newly formed Band of Seven. He rose and felt his divine markings take form on his face. He looked at the scared girl in the corner. He recalled her name being, Ina. Yes, she had taken in that weak doctor.

She was scared now, and she stammered, "D-Doctor?"

Suikotsu laughed lowly to himself, "No, not anymore"

He grabbed the claws at his side and slowly applied them, enjoying the fear in the girls face. He smelled smoke and knew that the shack had recently caught fire, it really only was a matter of time. He examined the shine on his weapons. Renkotsu had dome a nice job of creating them. He looked at his victim in the corner, "What's wrong?" he asked, "Don't tell me you're scared"

Ina tried to back away, but found that she was backed in the corner. The doctor had changed; there was an entirely different person in front of her now. His hair was wild and his eyes were filled with the crazed intensity of a feral boar. Dark green marks covered his face, and she couldn't help but mistake him as a demon.

"I'm going to enjoy this" he smiled.

_______________________________________

"Check this one" Jakotsu pointed to the shack that had the roof on fire. Bankotsu turned to his friend, "Why that one?"

"Cuz we haven't look in it yet"

Bankotsu rolled his eyes. Together the two stepped towards the burning building and stopped when they heard a loud scream. The two looked inside and saw the girl, Ina, fall to the floor, dead. Slash marks fell across her bleeding chest. Above her stood the gloved Suikotsu, a satisfied smirk on his face.

Bankotsu crossed his arms, as Banryu rested in the ground by his side. Jakotsu smiled at the girl's death. "Glad to have you back" Bankotsu smiled.

Suikotsu sent a deadly glare behind him, but stopped when he realized who it was, "Well, about time you should up" he smirked. Bankotsu smiled at the humor of the comment, "So, what does this mean?"

"It means" Suikotsu began while exiting the burning building, "That I am myself now"

Jakotsu smiled, "So you remember now?"

"Some things" he looked to his side at the glorious waste his teammates had caused, "I now who I am and where I stand"

The other two looked at Suikotsu to finish his comment. The whole of his actions didn't make any real sense to them. Suikotsu smirked at their expressions, "I am Suikotsu of the Band of Seven"

Bankotsu nodded, "Well that's all that I care about. Welcome to the team Suikotsu"

The three began walking back towards the others in their team. Asama castle was destroyed. Corpses filled the grounds and so did the puddles of their blood. Fire continued to burn everything down, and smoke rose above them. It truly was a beautiful site to behold.

______________________________________

**Good news!!! My writers block is over!!! I finally finished the Suikotsu part. I think I pulled it off quite well, if I don't say so myself.**

**Does anyone else love the way the Band interacts with each other? I find it hilarious.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading the story, and please remember to review. It's appreciated.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	18. Bankotsu: After the Blood Shed

**Bankotsu: After the Blood Shed**

"So how come Suikotsu's Divine mark disappeared, when he was that doctor?" Jakotsu asked the group.

The Band of Seven was currently celebrating their recent victory by staying in a large inn at the castle that hired them, except Kyokotsu and Ginkotsu who stayed outside in a place more fitting of their size. Suikotsu accompanied them.

The other four were sitting in a room with "Wenches" as Jakotsu called them, and while he had no joy being there, a little sake was more than enough to convince him. Mukotsu stayed in a separate room, having found a women to enjoy his company.

Bankotsu sat with a large smile on his face, having consumed his tenth drink. He turned away from the woman pouring his eleventh cup, and turned to Jakotsu's question, "…I…dunno…" he slurred out.

The woman finished serving the two men, "I will leave the sake by your side…" she sighed out before leaving with a bow. Jakotsu shooed the woman's comment away, "Yeah, whatever" he chugged his recent serving, and looked back to Bankotsu, "Aren't you curious?"

Renkotsu stopped himself from rolling his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy drinking sake, it was that the two brothers ahead of him enjoyed it far too much. He looked at Jakotsu who sat to his left, "I would surmise that it has to do with the fact that the doctor wasn't the one who the Divine Paint was placed on, rather it was our Suikotsu that was marked"

Jakotsu blinked, "…What?…they're the same guy…"

Renkotsu looked behind him out the door, as if to see if Suikotsu was listening, "No…" he said simply, "It's almost as if there are two beings inside his body…"

"Yo" Bankotsu called out the door to one of the far off servants, "My cups empty!"

Jakotsu laughed at his elder brother, "Cant you serve yourself? Those women left the sake right next to you…"

Renkotsu sighed, "I believe they got tired of having to pour the two of you cup after cup"

"Yo!" Bankotsu called again, similar to a loud child. After a few seconds a women came into view. She gave a small bow, hiding her annoyance poorly. She knew what he wanted, "Yes, Master Bankotsu…"

Jakotsu let out a low laugh at the woman's misery. Bankotsu stared at the woman for a few seconds, his cup still outstretched. A few more seconds of silence followed. The woman blinked, "Yes, Master Bankotsu…"

Renkotsu looked at the lost looking Bankotsu, "Wasn't there something you wanted, big brother?"

Bankotsu leaned over to Jakotsu, "Yo….yo…yo Jakotsu…."

Jakotsu leaned his head closer to Bankotsu, a faint line of red fell over his brother's nose, "Yeah…what is it?"

"Wh-what did I want?…"

"…more…sake?"

"…oh…" A loud booming laugh came out of Bankotsu. He placed his arm around Jakotsu and the other around the uncomfortable Renkotsu, "You guys…You guys… are the best…"

Renkotsu noticed the hiccups his brother displayed in between words. His head was awkwardly pulled into Bankotsu's chest. He also noticed that Jakotsu didn't seem to mind, and was sharing the same smile Bankotsu had.

Bankotsu's eyes remained closed as his grip increased. "Brother…?" Renkotsu began, while trying to pull away from Bankotsu's grip, "Didn't…didn't you want more sake?"

Bankotsu pulled his grip away as he recalled the memory of sake, his eyes opened wide as he looked to the girl in front of him, "Hey" he smiled. He fumbled up and walked over to the girl who had a confused look on her face. He stopped when he reached her side, "Hey" he smiled again. She blinked and took a step back, "Yes, you've said that…"

"You…you know what?…"

"Ummm…what…?"

He tried to stop laughing and a few giggles came out, "I…"

The woman leaned closer, "…yes?…"

He began to whisper, "I…want…"

Renkotsu rolled his eyes at his leader's display. Honestly, did he have to make a fool of himself? Jakotsu, who had a few drinks in him, was trying not to laugh, but it seemed like the funniest thing in the world to him.

"Yes…" the woman began, "do you want more sake?"

Bankotsu's smile left his face, "How…how you know I was gonna…say that…?"

She sighed and hid a bitter look, "Just a lucky guess…"

"Yo!" Jakotsu yelled at the "wench", "More sake for me too"

The woman picked up the sake, which was next to them the whole time, and poured Bankotsu and Jakotsu a glass, "As I said before…" the woman forced a smile, "I will leave the sake next to you. Should you require more feel free to serve yourself…"

Bankotsu gave an overly dramatic nod, "Yu-huh"

Jakotsu scoffed, "Yeah yeah just hurry and leave already"

"With pleasure" the woman mumbled under her breath before leaving.

Renkotsu looked to his leader, "Perhaps you should get some rest…"

Bankotsu quickly emptied his cup again and turned to Renkotsu, "You…you know what your…your problem…is?"

Renkotsu placed his fingers to his temple, "No, what is it?"

Jakotsu answered Bankotsu's question with a smile, as if it was a game to try to guess Renkotsu's problem, "He's boring?"

Bankotsu shook his head, no. Jakotsu guessed again, "He's uptight?"

Bankotsu shook his head, enjoying his game. Jakotsu continued with a smile, "He hates having fun? He has no fashion taste? He's always yelling at me? He has a big forehead? He's bald?"

"That's enough!!!" Renkotsu yelled.

Bankotsu leaned in to Jakotsu for a whisper, "I think he's sensitive…about being bald…"

Jakotsu nodded back in a whisper, "Yeah…"

"I am not…" Renkotsu spoke through gritted teeth. Their whispering turned out to be normal volume if not louder.

Jakotsu pointed his way. "Yeah you are" he rolled his eyes, "I can see my reflection in your head"

Bankotsu fell over laughing at Jakotsu's comment. Renkotsu subconsciously gripped at his knees, "I meant, that I'm not sensitive…"

Bankotsu looked at Renkotsu from the floor, "You mean…you're okay with being bald?…"

"MY HEADS SHAVED, NOT BALD!!!"

"Sure" Jakotsu sarcastically smiled, "shaved…"

Bankotsu gave a small hiccup before speaking, "So…so why…do you wear a scarf…if you're not…embar…embarrassed?"

Renkotsu felt as if a blood vessel was about to burst, "I…I…I just do, okay!"

"Sen-si-tive" Jakotsu sang out. Renkotsu rose angrily, "That's enough!!!"

The other two blinked in confusion, as if they were utterly shocked at what brought upon Renkotsu's response. Renkotsu continued, "I'm going outside with the others" he began to walk out, and his pant legs were grabbed by Bankotsu, who was still on the floor. "Yo" Bankotsu spoke, "you…you didn't let me finish…"

"Finish what?"

Bankotsu awkwardly pulled himself up. He smiled at Renkotsu and patted the floor for him to sit down. Renkotsu let out a sigh of defeat and sat besides his brothers. Bankotsu continued, "I was gonna say that…what was wrong with you…is that…"

Bankotsu reached behind him and pulled out an empty cup, "Is that…you don't have…any sake…"

Renkotsu let out a small smirk at Bankotsu's action. He reached for the cup, and saw that Bankotsu and Jakotsu also had there's at the ready. "I agree" Renkotsu nodded. Perhaps his brothers were a tad oblivious and aggravating, but they had their good qualities.

Bankotsu looked towards the door, "Yo" he called, "Yo woman!!! My cup!!! It's empty again!!!"

Renkotsu let his head fall to his hands. They were hopeless. They were utterly hopeless, and while no one could see it, a small smile fell on Renkotsu's face at the scene. He unlike Jakotsu, tried not to laugh at Bankotsu's antics.

_____________________________________

**Not like my other chapters, but I wanted to take a small break from my usual blood thirsty battles. So, I thought I'd write a cute little random scene about their celebration.**

**Please let me know what you think, PLEASE SEND ME A REVIEW!!!**

**I'd really appreciate it.**

**Thanks and much Love,**

**Merky15**


	19. Bankotsu: The Rumor

**Bankotsu: The Rumor**

Castles after castles were destroyed, and armies after armies were annihilated. It came to the point that no countryside in the north was oblivious to the name, The Band of Seven. In fact their presence alone was enough to bring recollection of their wars to the masses. In some cases they were mistaken as demons, and at this Bankotsu would laugh. Here he was a mortal, being mistaken for a demon. His mother would have been proud knowing that he had surpassed his mortal expectations, but not so much with the amount of bloodshed he caused.

Months had passed and they passed quickly for the group. The vast amount of bloodshed was paradise for the mercenaries. It started to grow colder as winter came, and everyone knew that snowfall would begin soon.

"This is the life, huh big brother?" Jakotsu was leaning against a large rock and overlooking the river ahead of them. Bankotsu sat besides his friend with a smile, "Sure is Jakotsu…"

Bankotsu placed down the rag he was using to clean off Banryu. He was so close to his goal, and the thought almost consumed him. As the months rolled by he managed to finish off 895 humans and 980 demons after a job that required killing off a hoard of wild demon boar. In one or two more wars, he would finally be able to meet his quota for human lives, and his quota for demons would be finished in no time. He couldn't help but let his imagination wander. What would become of Banryu? What kind of power would it have?

"Big brother?" Renkotsu interrupted. Bankotsu sent him a curious look and he continued, "Which way do you plan on traveling?"

Suikotsu smiled as he bared his claws, "Yeah, we should probably be heading out. I'm getting restless waiting here"

Mukotsu chuckled at the group, "Honestly," he snorted, "We've only been resting for an hour or two"

"Save it Mukotsu" Suikotsu smiled, "We haven't raided a good castle for at least two days now"

Ginkotsu nodded, "Gh-yes"

"Fine you bunch of blood thirsty animals" Bankotsu smirked as he stood, "We'll hit another one today. I've actually been planning the next one out already"

Approval rang out through the group. Jakotsu's smile was the largest, "Wow, the 17th castle this month. Impressive Bankotsu"

Renkotsu's arms remained crossed, "So, where did you find this castle, big brother?"

"Well, it's not so much a castle…it's more like a rumor I want to follow"

"Rumor?" Suikotsu repeated. He lowered his claws as he analyzed the statement. Bankotsu rolled his eyes, "Well don't sound so happy" he sarcastically emphasized. He shook his head, "It's not like we won't be killing someone or something…"

Jakotsu leaned over towards Mukotsu for a whisper, "Watch it be another boar killing spree like the last time…"

Mukotsu nodded with the same unenthused look the rest of the group wore. "Hey!" Bankotsu started as he looked at the whisperers, "They were demon boars!"

"Big difference" Jakotsu mumbled to himself. Bankotsu crossed his arms, "You didn't mind helping yourself to the sake afterwards"

Jakotsu pouted in defeat to his side. He knew they were still going to be forced to follow this rumor. Renkotsu looked to the leader, "The point being big brother" he started, "…is that fighting in wars have proven to be more fruitful than the rumors you have…"

"Look" Bankotsu looked to the pouting faces, "It may not be your favorite job, but we go where the work takes us and right now it's taking us to the Mt. Kyoumouri"

"Kyoumouri?" Renkotsu repeated, "What is its significance?"

"Probably a hoard of demon rats…" Suikotsu mumbled out to the surrounding ears, earning a laugh from Kyokotsu and Mukotsu.

Bankotsu swallowed his urge to punch their heads in, and turned to Renkotsu, "There's a legend about a powerful demon that resides on that mountain, according to local villagers"

"So," Jakotsu decided to give up on his sulking, "What do the legends say?"

"Same basic crap" Bankotsu shrugged, "Some powerful demon who claims the mountain as his own is causing problems for the local humans…"

Renkotsu looked at Bankotsu to continue. When Bankotsu didn't Renkotsu let out a weak sigh, "Is that all the information you received?"

Bankotsu gave him a dumbfounded look, "Yeah…"

"So am I to understand that you know nothing of this demon's abilities?"

Bankotsu blinked in an attempt to put together what Renkotsu was saying, "…I guess so…"

"So all you know is where the demon is? You know nothing of its appearance, race, or powers?"

"…Yeah…I just said that…"

Renkotsu let his head fall into his palms, "Then how do you intend to destroy it?"

"With my Banryu of course…"

"Big brother" Renkotsu began in a pleading tone, "It is wise for us to learn more about this demon before engaging in combat…"

"Renkotsu does make sense, Captain" Mukotsu chimed in. Bankotsu sighed, if they were to get information they would need to take time to speak with the villagers. "Fine…" Bankotsu shrugged in defeat, "I suppose it makes sense…"

Bankotsu rose and began heading back through the forest. The rest of the band followed. Bankotsu turned to Renkotsu who was at his side, "We'll speak to the village at the mountain's base. They should give us information about the demon"

Renkotsu nodded in agreement. It made sense to speak with the villagers who were at the base, and with the proper bartering they could make a decent profit.

Bankotsu smirked to himself as he walked. Yes, he did believe that there would be the potential for bloodshed on this rumor, despite the fact that the last demon tale they chased led them to killing off a bunch of weak demonic pigs. He had a better feeling about this one though, but that wasn't the only reason he wanted to hunt down this demon. He was close to finishing off his required number of demons, and he was excited that he would add a powerful demon to his list.

"Th-The Band of Seven…?" a guard repeated. Bankotsu stood with his group, minus the two big guys. They had arrived at a village at the mountain's base and were now trying to speak with the headman. Bankotsu nodded as the weak guard's knees shook with fear, "That's what I said" he smirked, "Now, where's the headman. I have to speak with him…"

The guard didn't answer and instead ran away in fear, causing the sleeping village to become a panic. Bells began to chime as woman and children ran from their homes in terror. Shouts of the Band of Seven arriving filled the air, and men were either running for their lives or looking for a weapon to use against the group.

The five men stood still in the middle of the village in shock. They hadn't moved a mussel as the scene ahead of them continued to brake out. Jakotsu blinked, "Wow…we're better known than I thought…"

Suikotsu folded his arms angrily, "I wish they'd stop running around. It makes me want to kill them all the more…" he looked to Bankotsu, "Can…"

Renkotsu answered shortly while looking ahead, "No…"

Suikotsu rolled his eyes and looked back to the screaming villagers. Renkotsu looked down at Bankotsu, "You should have told the guard that we didn't mean him any harm"

"The important thing is that we got a reaction" Bankotsu shrugged, "Now the headman knows we're here…"

"Yeah," Mukotsu snorted, "So does the rest of the village. When do you think they'll notice that we're…"

"Not trying to kill them?" Bankotsu finished, "In a few seconds, I believe that a few men will stand against us, thinking that they can take us or at least stall us for a short time"

As soon as Bankotsu spoke a pocket of about twenty men surrounded them. They carried torches and whatever weapon they could find, including pick axes. Bankotsu continued, "They'll realize they can't beat us or that we aren't attacking, and then the headman will…"

A voice spoke out to the group, "I am the village headman"

Jakotsu smiled at Bankotsu, "Wow you're good"

Bankotsu nodded in agreement, before looking to the headman. He was middle aged, and looked brave, but there was nothing special about him. Bankotsu spoke, "I'm Bankotsu of the Band of Seven"

"So it is true? Tell me, why do you come here?"

"Actually, we're here to help you with your demon problem"

Mumbling broke out through the village men, and the woman and children were starting to poke their heads out of their hiding spots in interest. The headman looked at Bankotsu uneasily, "Have you? For what purpose?"

"You sound a little paranoid" Bankotsu teased. The headman sent him an ineffective glare and Bankotsu continued, "It's not going to be free or anything, but we've been hearing rumors about this demon and came to offer assistance"

"I see…" the headman turned, "Come we'll talk inside"

The headman's house was a small one, but normal of the time. This disappointed Renkotsu. If the headman's house was this small then their village was most likely poor and couldn't offer a large reward for their services. Of course, he knew this wouldn't bother Bankotsu.

The headman's wife, a plain looking woman, began pouring the group tea. The headman spoke, "You are either brave or foolish to speak of defeating this demon"

Bankotsu smirked at this, "Come on headman. I thought you heard of the Band of Seven. We are undefeatable"

The headman smirked. "So I've heard" despite what he heard of them, he couldn't help but be worrisome of what they intended to do. Most of them look very young, and the Boy in his front looked like a young kid; sixteen or seventeen at the most. He reminded himself of their reputation of merciless bloodshed and continued, "I suppose you are curious to learn about this demon"

The Band of Seven's faces confirmed the headman's thoughts and he continued, "The demon itself is a mysterious one. Many figure her to be a phantom"

"A _her_?" Mukotsu giggled, before Jakotsu sent him a hard elbow to his chest for silence. The headman continued, "The stories of this demon are very old…"

"Crap," Jakotsu started, "Is this going to be one of those long stor…?"

This time Suikotsu sent an elbow into Jakotsu's side for silence. Jakotsu sent him a dirty scowl, "Why you…"

The headman continued, "It is said that a village resided on that mountain. Warfare destroyed it completely, leaving only one survivor. A beautiful woman remained alive. She stayed on the mountain waiting for her love to return from the battlefield until she died…"

"Oh cry me a river" Jakotsu mumbled to himself.

The headman continued, "Perhaps it is the soul of the dead girl who causes the devastation, but many more believe it to be a demon. In any case the demon lures in any who enter its domain…"

"With what?" Bankotsu asked.

"It all depends…"

"On what?…"

"What your heart desires? The demon can see into your heart. That is where the demon's true power's lie"

A cocky smile fell on Bankotsu's face, "I don't get what's so tough about this demon? It can see into your heart? Big deal"

The head man shook hi head, "You are missing the point. Men who enter the mountain become mad. They lose themselves to the demon and their desires. She traps you there with her illusions"

"So…" Jakotsu began, "What does the wench do when she traps people?"

"She devours them. Human bones have been found littered across the mountain's base. No man can destroy the demon. Every man suffers from some type of greed. That alone is man's greatest weakness"

Bankotsu rose with a look of determination, "I can handle it"

"No man can" the headman shook his head, "Her illusions prove to be quite powerful. She'll devour you…"

The words of the demon/ divine being Tsumadaru filled his head. The demon spoke of how Bankotsu would someday be consumed by his lust for power and greed. He remembered telling the demon that he was full of crap, and now he would prove it. He was not like Tsumadaru and he was not like humans. He would not be consumed by greed.

Bankotsu looked down at the sitting headman, "I only ask that you provide food, lodgings, and sake for the members of my band before my return"

"You are serious about leaving then?" The headman noted the look of determination on the young man's face, "I see you will no be detoured. Very well" he nodded, "I accept you deal"

Bankotsu exited the headman's home, and Jakotsu quickly followed, "Are you crazy or just stupid!?"

Bankotsu turned to his friend, and Jakotsu continued, "Weren't you listening to the headman. That demon or ghost is really strong, and if fighting him isn't bad enough you want to go alone?!!"

"What's wrong Jakotsu…" Bankotsu smirked, "don't think I can take this one?"

Renkotsu came with the rest of the group, "I don't think going this alone is wise big brother"

Suikotsu nodded, "How the hell do you kill a ghost? We don't got spiritual powers or any of that crap, and besides…" he smirked, "You promised us bloodshed…let's just go find a castle or let's go raid a village…"

Bankotsu shook his head with a weak smile. He was flattered that his brothers would care so much, but he couldn't pass this one up. Not only did he have something to prove, but this proved to be challenging, and he was never one to pass up a challenge. "I need you guys to stay here, and wait for me to return"

He noticed the un-approving faces, and changed his tone, "You _will_ all stay here, understood?"

Everyone gave a nod of understanding. Bankotsu turned to Renkotsu, "Go and bring the other two to the village…"

Renkotsu nodded, "Yes big brother, but are you sure…"

"Relax" Bankotsu smiled, "I'll be back before sunrise…"

The four stayed behind and watched as Bankotsu disappeared in the distance as he walked towards the mountain. "Looks like this rumor turned into a bust" Suikotsu sighed, "…to tell you the truth, an army of pigs sounds pretty good right now…"

"I agree" Mukotsu sighed, "This looks too dangerous…"

Jakotsu's fists tightened as he watched his friend disappear in the distance. He held back his urge to run after him. He swallowed his tears, "_Good Luck Brother Bankotsu"_

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**I'm sorry that took forever to write, but I'll put the next one up soon. I promise. So, if you don't remember Tsumadaru is that demon from chapters 8/9, but don't worry he's not important. **

**Please don't forget to send me a review, and thanks to the ones who do. You guys are awesome.**

**Thanks and Much love,**

**Merky15**


	20. Bankotsu: The Mysterious Village

**Bankotsu: The Mysterious Village**

Bankotsu continued through the mountain. The words of the village headman ran through his head. The demon reacted to the wants of man, and could see into his heart. This shouldn't affect him, he thought. He could stay in control...couldn't he? His brothers didn't seem to think so.

He wasn't finding anything strange as he continued through the mountain. Trees surrounded him and resembled a forest. There was no ominous signs, no deadly silence, nothing out of the ordinary. Actually it was a very peaceful place. He took a deep sigh maybe this was just a rumor.

A voice came from behind him. He slowly turned around.

"You are foolish to have come here" the voice began.

Maybe it wasn't just a rumor, after all. "I assume you're the demon of the mountain"

"What are you? Demon slayer? Priest?

He gently shook his head. He could tell by the voice that this demon was nothing special. "I'm Bankotsu, of the mercenary Band of Seven, and I've come to fight you"

"Then you will be killed" the beast roared. From out of the trees a large white serpent appeared. It bared its fangs and leaped towards Bankotsu.

Bankotsu quickly leapt to the side and almost effortlessly lopped off the snake's head. He looked below at his kill, "981...that was pathetic...maybe we should have just raided a village..."

A woman's voice came from out of the trees, "Excuse me"

Bankotsu turned to see who spoke. A group of ten or so women appeared. The one who spoke looked to be the leader. He quickly noted that she was attractive. She was older than him, probably in her late twenties or so. She had very sad brown eyes, and long thick black hair. Her clothes looked rather expensive as well. Bankotsu snapped out of his thoughts, and let Banryu fall to his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"We live not far from here in a hidden village. That demon has been plaguing us for quite some time. He's been killing any who wander onto this mountain"

He looked down at the demon corpse, "This demon?" he asked in surprise.

The woman nodded, " I know it wasn't much for a warrior such as yourself, but for a village of woman I assure you it was indeed fearsome"

"Yeah well, I was expecting more of a challenge..."

"Is that what you enjoy?" the woman asked, "…a challenge?"

He looked at her with a dumbfounded expression before he smiled at the question, "I guess I do..."

"Please warrior come back to the village for the night, the women would be quite grateful"

"Grateful?"

"Why yes, you defeated the demon. Would you not wish for a banquet?"

Something was off. Was that really the demon? Was the rumors of a woman killing trespassers in reality a demon serpent holding women hostage. It was possible, "I should probably be getting back to my companions…"

"but don't you remember" the woman started as her eyes gave a bright flash, "There's a thick fog"

Bankotsu blinked as his eyes flashed with the woman's. He looked at the forest. That was right there was a thick fog and there had been one for a while. He wouldn't be able to make it back without getting lost, "I suppose I could stay for the night..."

"Then come warrior. We'll take you to the village" she came to his immediate side with a kind smile, "Please, tell me your name"

"It's Bankotsu..."

"Bankotsu" she repeated, "I am called Yukoni"  
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"So the village is made of women who have lost their families?"

Yukoni nodded to Bankotsu, "Yes that's right. It's a safe haven, or it was until the demon found it" her eyes flashed again, "Didn't you come following the rumors of the serpent?"

Again Bankotsu's eyes flashed, "Yes that's right. I was hoping it would have been more of a fight though"

They arrived at the quiet village, and it was quite a beautiful place. It had a lovely darkness about it, but there was still enough for one to see comfortably. Fireflies flew through the air. Grass covered the ground and lanterns hung from house to house. On the far left of the village rested a plain shrine. It looked normal, but it didn't carry any lanterns and was void of any fireflies. Although, what Yukoni had spoken was true. Only women were present in the crowd that greeted them

Yukoni spoke, "This is the warrior who saved us"

Everyone bowed and Bankotsu was slightly taken back at the politeness he received. There was about fifty or so women surrounding him, "_Good thing Jakotsu stayed behind.._." he thought to himself.

Yukoni spoke as the crowd rose, "Prepare our guest a banquet"

Everyone immediately dispersed, but as they did so Bankotsu's eyes fell onto a particular girl's.

She wasn't as beautiful as Yukoni, but her face stood out amongst the crowd. Her eyes, like the other girls were sad, but her eyes were slightly different

She didn't smile at him as her eyes fell onto his. Her expression didn't change. Her black hair fell over her shoulders and ran down her back. Her bangs were brushed back to each side of her face, but stubbornly pushed back. Her deep brown eyes and thick dark brows contrasted beautifully against her pale skin. Her kimono was a dark blue and gold hemmed. She slowly turned away from their momentary glance and followed the rest of the crowd. There was something different about her.

Yukoni spoke, "Follow me Bankotsu"

He snapped out of his gaze and turned to Yukoni with a nod, "yeah...sure"

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Yukoni took Bankotsu into a room where he was to be staying. It was comfortable enough. It reminded him of home. How long had it been since he had seen his mother? He let his thoughts leave as he left the room. He wanted to be outside.

He walked through the grass and looked into the fog filled forest ahead of him. He heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He instinctually let his hands tighten on his Banryu's hilt. He turned his head around at the culprit. He let his hands loosen from his weapon when he saw you it was, "Who are you?" he asked.

Standing behind him was a monk. He wore a straw hat on his head, despite there being no rain. He was probably in his thirties our close to, but he still had a youthful smile. Bankotsu also noticed that while he wasn't very old the bags and wrinkles under his eyes told his real age, but despite it he smiled. His robes were ordinary, the only thing that looked of any value was the bright blue prayer beads wrapped around his right hand, and staff with a golden hoop on the top

The monk smiled while he answered Bankotsu's question, "Just a rural monk, I go by Tikomu"

"What are you doing here?" he sneered, " I thought this was a sanctuary for women?"

"So I was also told" he smirked, "I came following rumors..."

"What? About that snake?" Bankotsu smirked in his smug fashion, "I already took care of that"

Tikomu nodded in a smug way that rivaled and annoyed Bankotsu, "Did you? How very fortunate. I surmise you will be given a banquet for your accomplishment?"

Bankotsu didn't like him. He acted like he knew something that he didn't know. "What of it?" he asked.

"Nothing of it" he smiled back, "I suspect also that the fog is too thick for you to leave for the night"

Banryu left his shoulder and fell to his side, "Do you have some kind of problem monk?"

Tikomu gently shook his head, "Not at all" he walked away from Bankotsu and Banryu.

Banryu fell back to Bankotsu's shoulders, "Stupid monk"  
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There was more food then Bankotsu expected and for once there was enough sake. Of course what Bankotsu didn't expect was to see the same monk from before at his banquet. Who the hell was this monk?

Tikomu sat with his stupid straw hat at his side. He had messy brown bangs and a small tie behind him. He had kind blue eyes and a large smile on his face. Of course Bankotsu surmised that the smile came from the large amount of sake he had consumed, or perhaps also the many women that hung to his side.

"Some monk" Bankotsu mumbled while helping himself to more sake.

Bankotsu casually scanned the room for the girl he spotted earlier, but with no luck. He sighed and stood to rise. It was at this time he noticed that he also had quite a few girls clinging around him. He let out a sigh. He probably looked just like that damn monk had.

He arrived back at the forest's edge and again it was filled with fog, but this time it was Yukoni who was standing there. She turned around, "Bankotsu, why are you not at the banquet?"

He shrugged, "I got bored. What about you?"

"I was checking on the fog, it's worse than I feared"

"yeah...?"

"Bankotsu..." she waited until he looked into her eyes. She spoke when their eyes locked, and again both flashed, "You have no one to return to, right?"

He thought on her question. He answered, but somehow his response didn't sound right, "I guess not...no I don't"

"Then why not stay here? We need someone strong to protect us"

He thought about the offer. He couldn't remember anyone being with him. He couldn't remember any old companions or friends, and yet that didn't sound like the truth. He thought hard and could remember a promise he had made. He remembered telling someone, _"I'll be back before sunrise_" but who. Was this all in his head. He looked back at Yukoni and nodded, "Yeah, I guess I could do that for a while"

Yukoni grinned at Bankotsu's answer, "I'm glad"

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**Don't hate me for taking so long, school is a killer this semester. On the bright side I already started the next chapter. I'll get it up soon. Please review. Thanks for reading.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	21. Bankotsu: The Spell

**Bankotsu: The Spell**

He left Yukoni and contemplated his situation. Something felt like it was missing. He felt like had forgotten something or...someone. What could he be forgetting? He stopped with a sigh and shook it off. It must have been the sake.

It was at this time he noticed a single girl walking towards a small house in the distance. It was her. It was the girl he saw in the crowd. He quickly went towards her with a wave of his hand, "Hey"

The girl paused and slowly looked as Bankotsu came towards her. "It's you" she spoke in recollection.

Bankotsu nodded, "Yeah I've been trying to find you"

The girl looked at him weakly, "...and why is that...?"

He thought the question over in his head, "Actually I'm not quite sure"

The girl nodded and continued to walk towards the hut. Bankotsu took a step forward, "Hey, what's the rush?"

The girl stopped again and slowly looked back at the young warrior, "Tell me why you've come?"

"I came to see you"

"No I mean why did you come to this village?"

"I came following rumors about the serpent..."

The girl gave a hopeless nod of acknowledgment, "It may not be too late for you" she sighed, "Not if you leave now"

He blinked at how confusing this girl was, "Why would I leave? I only just arrived"

"I see..." she sighed again.

He casually walked to the girl's side with a smug smirk, "You know for a girl so pretty you sure do sigh quite often"

She quickly let her eyes fall to his in an inquisitive matter, "What do you mean?"

"Why don't you tell me why you're so sad? Why is everyone is this village so damn sad?"

She looked into his eyes for a few moments, and for the first time he saw a small smile fall on her lips. He was able to tell? "You seem to be different from the others who have come..."

He looked at her, again confused by her comment, "Others...?"

She looked back ahead of her, her sad expression began to resurface, "Please take my advice and leave before it's too late"

He watched her walk off again. She said such strange things. What was so wrong about this place? Why did everyone look…lost? He called to her again, "Aren't you gonna give me a name?"

The girl stopped at his question and looked over her shoulder, "It's Shuna" she gently spoke. "I'm Bankotsu" he smiled as if he was proud of his name. She nodded in acknowledgement before disappearing inside the small house.

"Shuna?" he repeated. He stood staring at her home for a few seconds before he headed back to his quarters. He couldn't help but wonder what she was talking about? Why was she so set on having him leave? Did it have to do with what was wrong with the woman in the village? They weren't just sad. They looked as if they had lost all hope. Shuna alone was different. It was very slight, but there was still the anticipation of rescue there. How could he pass such a challenge up? He couldn't.

He retuned to his room and was angry to find that he wasn't alone. Sitting against the wall was none other than the monk Tikomu. "You again?" Bankotsu moaned out in a comical fashion resembling a child.

Tikomu nodded with a smug smile, "It's good to see you as well. I've been waiting for you for quite sometime. I hope you don't mind"

"What do you want of me?" he asked rather shortly.

Tikomu looked up as if thinking of how he should answer this question, "You are currently unaware at present, but there's a demon around that intends to devour us. I don't think I can handle this on my own..."

"Heh," Bankotsu let his Banryu lift and fall back onto his shoulders for emphasis, "...if there is a demon around I can handle it myself"

"...well" the monk sighed, "you're determined I'll give you that"

Banryu's blade stopped close to Tikomu's neck. Bankotsu stared angrily at the monk's unchanged expression. "I'm growing tired of your attitude monk. If you have something to say than say it"

"Tell me" he began, "How is your memory of late?"

"Memory?" Bankotsu repeated in surprise.

"Do you feel as if you've forgotten something you should have remembered?"

Bankotsu's angry expression answered Tikomu's question. The monk continued, "And what of your heart? Have you started having any feelings of longing towards anything or one?"

Bankotsu was starting to get aggravated and for some reason his head started to pound. It was as if his mind was fighting off the monk's suggestions. "Enough!" Bankotsu yelled as Banryu fell towards the monk.

Bankotsu was surprised to see the monk quickly sidestep his swing.

"Then it is as I thought" Tikomu sighed with a smile, "no matter" he withdrew a sutra from his robe and pointed it towards Bankotsu.

Bankotsu smirked, "What's this monk? You think some papers gonna beat me?" he ran towards the monk, "I'm not some weak demon!"

"No..." Tikomu spoke as he threw the sutra at Bankotsu's head. It had an immediate effect. Bankotsu fell to his knees as the sutra sparked against a red light. Bankotsu let out a yell as it happened.

Tikomu walked over to the fallen Bankotsu when the sutra finished its job. Tikomu continued, "...but the spell you were under was created by demon magic"

The monk knelt beside Bankotsu, "Are you alright?"

Bankotsu placed his hand to his throbbing head. "What happened?" he asked himself, "I killed a demon...and then I came...where am I?"

"You must be rather dazed still. It's common. Your senses will return soon enough and then you'll start to remember..."

Bankotsu turned to see the monk at his side and his hands fisted in realization, "Hey! You're that self important monk!... You threw that damn sutra at me!!!"

"See..." the monk smiled, "your memory's returning already... not the particularly best memory you should remember at this time, but still..."

He ignored Tikomu's ramblings and returned to holding his head, "What the hell happened anyways?"

"The demon had you under her spell"

"That's right. The demon was suppose to see into your heart. I came hunting this demon down..." he felt his fist clench to his side.

Tikomu nodded, "As did I. It seems that once she completely takes control of you she devours you, or so I've presumed"

He rose angrily with Banryu at the ready, "That bastards gonna pay" he growled while he headed towards the exit. "Calm yourself" Tikomu rose to stop Bankotsu, "The situation is not so simple. Yukoni alone is not the demon, rather the demon is using her as a medium"

Bankotsu didn't care to understand, "That doesn't concern me. All I have to do is cut her head off with Banryu and that's the end of it"

"No" he spoke firmly, "I won't tolerate harming the innocent"

Great he was stuck with a self righteous monk with a conscience. It didn't matter though. He didn't need to listen to the monk's understood Bankotsu's look and smiled pleadingly, "Come now. Are you not human as well?"

"_Human_?" he thought to himself. He had often debated this within himself. He was mortal, but was he also human?

"You too fell prey to the demon's spell did you not? Do you not have any pity for this young woman? She as well as you had a weakness or desire that this demon exploited, or tried to. In the human world many suffer and are killed. Should you not use your strength to defend those who can not defend themselves?"

Bankotsu heard the monk's words and chuckled to himself, "yeah..." he said weakly and still rather unsure of it, "I'm human, and because of it I carry weakness in my heart, but none of that matters" he looked more convincingly, "In the mortal world the weak die, and in order to remain alive you need to be strong. In man's world strength is your only chance for survival. What reason do the weak have to live?"

"You are young and rather thick headed" the monk sighed while rubbing his temples, "but out of curiosity, what makes this woman weak? Are you weak? You fell to the same spell"

"Don't be stupid...I'm by no means weak"

"The reason you don't wish to save the girl is because you are rash and want to act in the only way you know how"

Bankotsu gritted his teeth and he felt his fists tighten, "Stop speaking as if you know me monk!"

"But I do..." a more serious expression fell on Tikomu's face, "you are Bankotsu of the Band of Seven"

He smirked at how Tikomu spoke the name. It was filled with such loathsomeness. "So you do know me…"

"I've heard talk of the atrocities you and your men have caused, and it is because of that I contemplated whether or not I should have saved you"

Bankotsu gave a cocky smirk to the monk, "Oh?" he started, "Why did you then?"

"I am a monk of principles I wouldn't turn away from a human in distress" Tikomu walked to the door and paused, "...and also because you are very young, perhaps there may still be hope for you to learn the truth"

This idiot was starting to sound like his mother. "What truth?" he spat.

The monk shook his head, "We'll get to that later, but now you must do things my way" he looked back at Bankotsu, "Can you do that?"

What? Did the monk think he would take any orders? He could kill this demon no problem. He thought it over for a second and remembered Tikomu's words, "_You too fell prey to the demon's spell. Do you not have any pity for the young woman_"

Bankotsu lifted his halberd, "Fine, we'll do this your way monk"

Tikomu nodded with a smile, "Glad to hear it" he rummaged in his robe and pulled out a bright blue beaded bracelet, "Then have this, it will protect you from the demon's spell"

Bankotsu took it reluctantly. He couldn't help but wonder: If he refused to follow the monk's plan, would Tikomu have given him the bracelet? Bankotsu placed it on with an agitated look Somehow he felt conned.  
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**I told you I'd get it done fast. I hope you think it's getting interesting. I like where it's going so far. Thanks to everyone who reviews. It really helps me to put the chapters up faster…so please review!**

**Thanks and Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	22. Bankotsu: The Village’s Secret

**The Village's Secret**

"Yukoni should reside deep inside the mansion" Tukomi spoke to the young mercenary who ran by his side, which was impressive considering that his halberd must have weighed a ton. Bankotsu gave a reluctant nod. How did it come to this? He had a monk giving him orders. "What then?"

"I'll expel the demon, then it will be up to us to destroy it"

"Us?" Bankotsu smirked, "I don't need your help killing the demon. I'll take care of that myself"

Tikomoe smiled back at the mercenary with a shake of his head, "I have no objections, if you are able to handle it alone"

"Heh, I thought you knew who I was"

"Aye, that I know all too well"

They continued to run through the mansion, which resembled a maze. Tikomoe froze with his eyes closed. Bankotsu rolled his eyes, "What now monk?"

Tikomoe's eyes opened in a serious light, "She's in that room…"

Bankotsu made a move to the door, "Then let's finish this…"

"No…" he placed his arm in front of the Bankotsu. "I will need to handle extracting the demon on my own"

"Fine, just hurry the hell up"

The monk sent him a warm smile, "I will try my best. In the mean time it is imperative that you remain here. I will expel the demon soon, and then you will be free to destroy it. Fair enough?"

Banryu leaned besides Bankotsu against the wall. He crossed his arms, "Like I said, just hurry the hell up"

Tikomoe nodded, "Understood…" he slid the door open and entered the room. Bankotsu heard what sounded like Yukoni's greetings before the door closed. The young mercenary stayed against the wall impatiently for about ten minutes. Knowing the monk he was probably trying to put a move on the possessed girl. "Wouldn't put it passed him" he snorted.

A loud slam caught Bankotsu's attention, which was followed by a scream. He recognized the voice and his hand quickly fell to Banryu's hilt, _"…Shuna…"_

* * *

A large snake coiled around Shuna, crushing her chest with its thick tail. "A serpent?" Bankotsu spoke as he watched the spectacle. Shuna turned to see Bankotsu running her way. "_So"_ she thought to herself, "_he came…"_

Bankotsu easily sliced the Serpent down with his Banryu, while making sure to grab the falling girl. He smiled at his kill, "982.."

He was almost at his goal. He looked down at the girl in his arm. "You okay?"

Shuna gave a weak nod, "Yes…Bankotsu…"

Bankotsu noticed the strange look in her face. She looked upset, as if something was on her mind. "What is it?" he asked, while placing her down.

She stepped away from the mercenary and fisted her hands to her side. "The demon…" she started. Bankotsu took a step towards her, "What the snake?" he smirked, "Don't worry I already took care of it" a smile fell on his face. "Wait? Was that the demon of the forest?"

Shuna looked ahead for a while in thought, before she was able to manage a sharp nod. "…It was"

He looked at the dead demon, and then back to the tensed girl. "So then, what's the problem?"

Shuna gave no response as she walked off. Bankotsu stared at her for a moment. Was that really the demon? It seemed to easy to bring down? He looked back to where Tikomoe told him to stay. Should he go back? He placed Banryu against his shoulder and followed after the girl.

Shuna opened the door to the dark shrine with a calm face. She looked behind her at Bankotsu, "In here…" she spoke weakly.

He looked behind him. Where were the other girls? Were they still sleeping? He nodded to Shuna and followed after her.

The shrine was as dark onside as it was outside, with only one lantern lit. Shuna began to light the others with the fire from the one. "Please…" Shuna started, "sit, Bankotsu…"

"Yeah, sure…" he let his body fall back, and his legs to cross. "Why'd you bring me here Shuna?"

Was he truly that innocent? All the other men she was forced to bring to the shrine were very to quick to assume her reasons. This one wasn't like the others though. Shuna let a soft smile fall on her face, but the act seemed foreign to her and she let it fall back off.

She walked towards the young mercenary and knelt in front of him. "…I told you to leave…" she whispered. Bankotsu thought back to her words. He was still blurry on what had happened when he was being bewitched, but somehow he remembered her face. He recalled their conversation.

"You did" he nodded, "but I'm not the type to listen to orders" he smirked. She didn't share his amusement. Her head fell to his shoulders as she held him in her embrace, hiding her expression. He noticed her body was very stiff as it did so.

Tears silently rolled down her face as her expression remained hard. "_Why"_ she yelled inwardly, "_Why didn't you leave? I…I'm sorry…"_

Bankotsu's arms awkwardly remained at his side. He wasn't sure how to react to this. "…Shuna…?"

Her voice was calm, "Be silent now Bankotsu. Hold me, please…"

Shuna's tears continued to fall. It wasn't her who was speaking, and yet she was used to the futility of trying to stop it. She saw the bracelet from the corner of her eye. She was sure that it should have been strong enough to stop him from falling prey to a trap, but apparently, it was still in her power to destroy him. "_Bankotsu…run…please"_

She felt his arms wrap around her, and she felt his embrace. She heard a small friendly chuckle leave his throat. "Are you okay now?" he smirked.

He still didn't understand. He didn't think the way the other men did. He must have thought he was comforting her. It didn't matter though. It was too late. Shuna's eyes began to glow a bright yellow, and large fangs began to grow. "Just stay a little longer Bankotsu" Shuna's voce spoke reassuringly.

* * *

"Oh good Monk" Yukoni smiled as Tikomoe entered the room. Tikomoe's smile matched Yukoni's in warmness. "How are you M'Lady?"

"I am fine, but why may I ask are you here?"

"I came to see to your health" he offered weakly. She nodded, "I see…" she moved closer to the monk, "Are you sure that that is all you are here for?"

Tikomoe stifled his inappropriate thoughts as Yukoni's arms fell around his neck. "It's been such a long time, monk, since a man has entered these lands"

She gently pulled the monk towards the floor. He didn't object, and sat with Yukoni at his full front. She gently placed her head against Tikomoe's shoulder.

Tikomoe fought his urge to grope the possessed girl. He let out a deep sigh. "You must have been very lonely here"

He felt her nod, "It was…"

Yukoni's eyes began to glow as large fangs started to emerge, "But you are here now" she smiled. Tikomoe nodded, noticing the rise in demonic aura. He let out another sigh…why did the women always have to be possessed? "Please bare with me"

"What was that monk?" Yukoi asked

Tikomoe pulled a sutra out of his sleeve, and placed it against the demon's back. Immediately, Yukoni fell away from the monk and immediately began to transform into a large green serpent. It made a large slam against the wall as it fought against the sutra. The demon's eyes scowled in agitation. The damn monk saw through his guise.

The demon let out a small chuckle with a hiss. He still had another plan up his sleeve. He still had another victim in the vicinity. The demon's eyes flashed a bright yellow, and a loud scream was heard in the distance. Shuna will finish the other one.

Tikomoe heard the scream and turned to exit, but the serpents large tail slammed in front of him. "**We are not done here monk**" the serpent hissed, "**You were clever enough to see through my disguise, but I will still devour you**"

Tikomoe looked behind him at the blocked door. He knew what the snake was planning, and his impulsive young friend must have fallen for it. He didn't have much time, and because of the situation he wasn't able to unleash his secret weapon. He had to finish this. He withdrew another sutra. "This will be the end of you demon"

Again the sutra fell on the scales of the demon. The demon thrashed a bit, before laughing at the futility. "**Is that all monk? I thought it was the end for me?"**

Tikomoe growled at the demon. Why wasn't this working?

"**By now you're friend is about to be devoured. As soon as that happens I will become even more powerful, and you…well you'll already be dead"**

The large snake dived towards the monk, whose staff held off the fangs. He felt his arms about to give out from the demon's shear pressure. He closed his eyes as he muttered a small incantation. A large flashing light, blinded the area, and pushed the snake away.

When the serpent rose, he was alone in the room. The damn monk escaped.

* * *

Shuna's eyes began to glow a bright yellow, and large fangs began to grow. "Just stay a little longer Bankotsu" Shuna's voice spoke reassuringly.

He wasn't sure what was wrong with Shuna? Why was she so sad? He thought about the monk. Tikomoe said that the demon was possessing Yukoni, but then what did the other girls have to do with it? Could- could the snake be possessing them too?

Bankotsu looked to the side to see a lantern illuminating the blade of Banryu. He looked closer and saw a reflection on the blade. His body tightened as he saw the demonic face of Shuna. Large fangs were held up, and ready to strike down against him. He quickly pushed the girl away from him, and rolled towards his blade. Shuna's demonic face remained transfixed as she rose, "What is wrong Bankotsu" she chuckled, "Don't you love me?"

"Bastard" he growled, "What have you done to the real Shuna?"

A deep laugh escaped her lips, "Whatever do you mean? I am her"

Bankotsu gave a gentle smirk, "Fine don't tell me. It will end quicker that way" He jumped towards the woman, ready to cut her down.

Shuna laughed, "Do you really not care if you kill the girl? She'll die along with me"

Bankotsu stopped his swing with a growl. "Dammit"

A sutra struck Shuna causing her to let out a loud yell of pain and fall to the floor. Bankotsu turned to see the monk, "Tikomoe"

The monk nodded, noting that Bankotsu actually used his name for once. "I see you are well"

"What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. I thought that the demon was merely inside Yukoni, but apparently all these women are being possessed"

Shuna chuckled as she rose from the floor, "That is very right monk" she rose in a strange motion. "We are all under his control. Will you kill us?"

Tikomoe tightened as he felt a presence surround them. Bankotsu looked out the shrine door to notice all the girls in the village coming their way. "Bankotsu placed his Banryu in front. "I thought you said we only had to kill the one demon?" he growled.

Tikomoe held out his staff, "…Well that was the plan, but things change"

"Well than, what now monk?"

Great, so now he was back on "monk" status. "We stall them"

Tikomoe stepped out of the way as another possessed woman jumped his way, large fangs bared. Bankotsu did the same. Dammit, why couldn't he just rip off their damn heads? At least that way it would be finished.

Tikomoe threw out some more sutras and made a path. "QUICKLY!" he yelled to the young mercenary. Bankotsu gritted his teeth and followed. Was he really running away from a bunch of women?

The mass of women followed after them. Bankotsu and Tikomoe stood back to back, surrounded by the possessed girls.

A deep chuckle came from behind them. The large serpent stood, "**There you are. I see Shuna failed in killing you…no matter I suppose"**

Tikomoe evaluated the scene. The large demon was controlling all of these women and was somehow too strong to purify. Not to mention he was using Yukoni as a puppet…How was this all possible? There had to be a loophole. Wait, why did he need to collect souls? What was his purpose?

"You speak pretty tough for someone whose hiding behind a woman" Bankotsu mocked with a smile. The demon's eyes hardened, "**What was that boy?"**

"You talk all high and mighty, but the only reason this monk hasn't killed you is because you're using a human woman as a shield"

"**Silence fool!"**

Tikomoe looked towards the young boy. What was he doing? Was he trying to get them killed? He wasn't in the position to be sending out threats?

The demon continued, "**I do not need this woman, once I regain my full power"**

Tikomoe's mouth fell open in realization. Bankotsu wasn't just being a hot headed loudmouth. He was getting the demon to talk, by using his own rage against him. Bankotsu smirked, **"**And absorbing souls will give you your full power?"

"**With each human soul I devour the more powerful I become. I simply use this village to lure in unsuspecting fools such as yourselves"**

It was the same with all demons. You get them talking long enough they'll spill all the information. The only thing they love more then devouring humans was talking about themselves. "So you need human souls to become powerful? Heh, it doesn't sound that clever of a plan"

The demon growled at the brash child below, "**It is not so simple you wretched brat!!! I was able to trap the souls of this lost village, using my own detachments of the soul. That is superior demon magic!!! And with it I am able to collect more souls and devour more humans. Soon I will become unstoppable!!!"**

Tikomoe's face hardened with realization just before the snakes large tale fell towards them. He noticed that the women were pushing to get him inside the shrine. He understood how the demon worked. He looked towards Bankotsu, who was dodging the on slot of women. "Bankotsu!"

"What now!?" he yelled before punching another possessed girl to the floor.

"I need you to hold out a little while longer"

Bankotsu turned to the monk, "You have a plan this time?"

Tikomoe nodded, "We need to get inside the shrine"

"Are you stupid? It's too small, we can't handle all these wenches in the shrine""Trust me"

Bankotsu pushed off another group of girls before following the monk inside. As soon as they entered, the women had them against the wall. Bankotsu sent a cold glare towards his current ally, "……"

Tikomoe felt the glare, but didn't speak. He closed his eyes and placed his staff down and a bright light began to shine. He opened his eyes and pulled out another sutra. "It's there!!!" he yelled as he tossed the sutra towards a small bronze statue of a dragon like serpent. As soon as he did so, the sutra disintegrated against a type of barrier, "It didn't work…"

Bankotsu saw the reaction, "Do we need to brake that damn thing?"

Tikomoe nodded, "Do you perhaps have an idea?"

The woman all charged forward at Tikomoe's words. Tikomoe was able to place up a small barrier of his own around Bankotsu and himself. Bankotsu smirked, "Give me one of those sutras"

Tikomoe complied. Bankotsu placed it against his Banryu. It wasn't the first time it was able to push through a barrier. Tikomoe watched as Bankotsu jumped out of his own barrier, and land his halberd onto the small ornament. He immediately met with resistance and the women all immediately swarmed him. "Dammit" Tikomoe growled as Bankotsu disappeared from view.

Bankotsu felt a mob of people fall on top of him. He let out a yell as he felt a multitude of fangs fall onto his body. He ignored the pain and continued to push Banryu down.

After a few seconds, Tikomoe saw a bright light and heard a crack. All at once, the women fell to their knees with a scream. A large light shot our of their mouths. The shrine collapsed as the lights transformed into large serpents.

Tikomoe ran towards Bankotsu. "Are you alright?"

Bankotsu lifted himself up with trouble. Spots of blood covered him, where the fangs had penetrated. The two quickly ran out of the falling structure. Listening to the screams of the women, and the large serpent that had controlled them.

"What the hells going on?" Bankotsu asked Tikomoe. The monk's eyes hadn't left the scene, "The large serpent had been practicing soul detachment"

"…what the hells that?"

"It's demon magic. He was able to split his soul. He placed a piece inside each of the women, and with it he was able to control them"

"So why did we need to go into the shrine?"

"When you practice soul detachment you become very weak. The demon was using human souls to rebuild his strength. The small statue inside the shrine, was what the demon was using to keep his soul in control. It was also where our souls would have gone once they were sucked out of our bodies. Now that it was destroyed, the woman are free"

"So what does that leave us with?"

Tikomoe watched as the lights settled and the smoke cleared. Ahead of them stood a large mob of giant snakes. One from each of the women. The largest snake, the one who controlled them all, stood behind them. "**You will pay dearly for your insolence!!!" **he roared.

As he spoke, the large demon army attacked. Bankotsu smiled, "So…you're saying that we don't need to worry about the girl's souls?"

Tikomoe let out a sigh, "That is right Bankotsu. We can freely attempt…" he stopped when he noticed that Bankotsu was no longer by his side. He placed his hand to his temples, "Rash little…"

Bankotsu wore a large smile as he sliced down demon after demon, "983..984...985..986...987..."

He was so close to finishing his goal of demon heads. There was so many demons here too. Today, he was going to finish his quota. "988...989" that last one was a big one. He hardly felt the pain in his body anymore. His adrenaline was pumping. He would be one step closer to finishing the transformation on Banryu. "990"

A large smile was still on his face. He only needed 10 more demons. "Stand back Bankotsu" Tikomoe called as he came to his comrades side.

"What are you doing?" Bankotsu shot, annoyed that the monk was ruining his moment.

"If you value your life you will stand back"

Bankotsu gave the monk a confused look. He sounded serious? Just what was this monk planning?

Bankotsu watched as the monk held out his hand. He removed the prayer beads with the other, and stared fierce eyed at the mass of snake demons. He opened his palm, "WIND TUNNEL!!!"

Bankotsu stared with wide eyes as a large wind came from the monks hand. He placed Banryu in the ground for support. No, the hand wasn't releasing the wind. it was pulling everything inside it. Bankotsu watched as the snakes slowly disappeared into Tikomoe's hand. While the sight in itself was enough to catch someone's attention, Bankotsu was more captivated with the fact that everyone of his potential kills disappearing into the damn monk's hand.

Soon the field was empty. Tikomoe pulled his hand away and rewrapped the beads. He turned to the wide eyed mercenary. He smiled, "Yes, my Wind Tunnel has that effect on many people"

"What…what…"

"It's a terribly long story. You see many years ago, my father…"

Bankotsu's expression hardened with a yell, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!!"

"What?…" Tikomoe blinked.

"I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF KILLING THOSE DAMN SNAKES, AND YOU JUST SHOW UP AND SUCK THEM ALL UP"

Tikomoe let out another sigh, realizing what truly had the child's attentions. "I thought you could use a hand" he waved his Wind Tunnel hand to emphasize his joke, but Bankotsu's glare didn't falter.

"So…" Tikomoe continued, "Perhaps we should check on the women…"

* * *

Bankotsu and Tikomoe watched as the large group of women began to glow before disappearing into particles of light. Tikomoe answered the confused expression on his friends face, "Unfortunately the serpent had devoured their bodies, but now their souls can find peace…"

Bankotsu looked through the crowd of faces, but he couldn't make out the one he was searching for. Was he too late?

He turned around when he heard a soft whisper. "Bankotsu…"

Shuna stood behind him. For the first time she held her kind smile. Tikomoe watched as Bankotsu walked towards her.

"…Shuna…" Bankotsu spoke as he reached her. She stood there as plain as day, and yet Tikomoe said that their bodies were gone. Was Shuna too…was she dead?

Shuna's hand gently caressed his face, and lifted it to face hers. She gently smiled at him, "Now it is my turn to ask. Bankotsu, why are you so sad?"

He smirked at the humor, but it quickly left. "…I couldn't save you then…"

"But you did. You were able to free my soul from the serpent's spell. Bankotsu…" she stepped closer to him, grasping his hands. "…you saved my soul…"

Shuna gently fell into his arms, unlike the hard way she had done earlier. The feeling was strange to him, but he accepted it almost immediately. Her lips fell onto his, and again he accepted her actions.

Tikomoe rolled his eyes, "Lucky little…"

Bankotsu opened his eyes, when the weight on his chest lightened. No one was there. He looked up to see a bright light disappearing into the sky. Tikomoe approached behind him. "She seemed…happy"

"…_happy…"_ he thought to himself. It sounded so simple, and yet no other words seemed as suitable as happy.

* * *

The two walked through the forest back towards the village. It was still dark, but the sun would rise in a few hours. They came to a hill that just overlooked the sleeping village. "I guess this is where we split up" Tikomoe smiled.

"I guess so…" Bankotsu shrugged as if uninterested, and then began to walk off again.

"I was glad to have met you, _terrible_ mercenary" he smirked.

Bankotsu stopped and looked over his shoulders to Tikomoe. The monk continued, "Just remember to mind your temper and don't be so quick to judge"

Bankotsu gave him a blank expression before rolling his eyes, "Look here you perverted monk, just because your older than me doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do"

Tikomoe smiled at the boys reaction. He placed his straw hat back on, "Sorry, it's a father's impulse to treat every young boy in his company as if he were his own"

Figures he would have knocked some wench up, "Yeah, well, don't go getting yourself killed" he called slightly more gently before heading down the hill.

"If you promise not to kill so much" he called back with a smile. He watched as the young boy left towards the village. He heard of the evil hearted mercenary named Bankotsu, and upon first inspecting him he questioned whether or not he was the one he had heard of. The boy was young and very rash, but somewhere deep down, behind his murderous ways, he held a very kind soul. Granted it was very, very deep down. Tikomoe smiled to himself, "_Perhaps he'll grow out of it. Perhaps, he'll come to learn the truth, that every living creature has weakness in there heart, and despite however hard he tries, he can not escape that truth. He too will have to face his own weakness"_

Tikomoe walked down a different path once Bankotsu was out of view. This last excursion had been a close one. It reminded him that he had been away from home long enough. He wondered how old Mushin was faring with his own little trouble maker of a son. He smiled at the memory, and looked down at his cursed hand. Again he had failed on his search to find Naraku, and he felt his had tearing with every passing day. A solemn expression entered his face, "_Miroku…you will have to succeed where I have failed…"_

* * *

**Some of you guys already called it earlier, which was cool, but yep Tikomoe is Miroku's dad. I thought I'd add that little twist in there. **

**I'm sorry about the delay, but I made this chapter extra long to make up for it. Thanks for the review. Keep it up. They really inspire me to continue my writing.**

**Again thanks and I'll put up the next chapter soon,**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	23. Bankotsu: Priorities

**Bankotsu: Priorities**

"So what now?" Suikotsu asked the group. Daylight was upon them, and their leader had yet to return to them. All eyes fell on Renkotsu for an answer, being the unspoken second in command. He stayed in thought as he looked towards the mountain path. Should he risk his and the others lives to find their big brother? Or should he stay waiting as he was commanded? On the other hand Bankotsu had said he would be back in the morning…

"Ah" Suikotsu spat in an aggravated manner. He quickly jumped up and pointed his claws to the mountain that laid behind him, "What the hell are we doing just sitting are asses around here? Lets stop talking and start acting!"

Kyokotsu nodded in agreement, "Yes, perhaps there will be a few appetizers…" he smiled while rubbing his empty stomach. Ginkotsu and Mukotsu gave curt nods of approval as well.

Renkotsu shook his head and calmly spoke, "No…we will wait until it is morning before we take any actions"

Jakotsu listened to the bickering behind him. Suikotsu and Renkotsu both argued their positions, but despite Renkotsu's calm voice, his decision would speak for the rest of the Band of Seven's actions. Jakotsu knew where he stood. His eyes locked onto the mountain as the words behind him faded out.

Bankotsu had made a promise to him, and he trusted Bankotsu. He would return, he told himself. "_He…he has to"_

He felt his fists tighten at his side. The song of the morning birds began to break out. Their joyful tune, hit Jakotsu's heart as silent tears welled up in his eyes. Morning had come…but Bankotsu had not. He fought against the urge to let them fall. The tears would have meant he had lost faith in Bankotsu's promise to return, and he would never do such a thing.

Jakotsu looked down, as his bangs had covered his face…"_No…no more tears…He'll come back…I know he will…"_

Jakotsu forced his head back towards the direction of the mountain. His eyes widened in realization at he scene ahead of him. Walking down the path was the one he had been waiting for. Walking in his usual unaware manner…as if nothing could bring a frown to his face.

Jakotsu felt his face slowly give way to change. A large grin fell on his face as he ran towards the young mercenary. "Bankotsu!" Jakotsu screamed with delight.

The rest of the group snapped out of their debate, and turned to see their leader returning. Bankotsu froze with a dumbfounded expression on his face, as the group of six men came speeding towards him…he hadn't been gone that long.

Jakotsu's arms were the first to reach him. The tightly wound around his neck. Bankotsu's arms fell awkwardly at his side, "…Hey…Jakotsu…"

"I knew you'd come back!!!" he yelled, challenging any doubt anyone may have had. Bankotsu's mouth stood slightly agape for a moment as he saw tears falling down his friend's face. Had…had they been for him? His mouth formed into a strange smile at his friends display of affection. "…I'll always come back" he smiled. A strange sensation filled him as he spoke these words…the idea made him feel invincible…

Before Jakotsu had the chance to open his mouth again , the two were surrounded. Bankotsu stared at the relieved expressions around him, worn by his comrades. He could hardly understand a word through the noise.

Suikotsu patted his back, with a warm smile. Most likely congratulating him on slaying the demon, and asking for details. Kyokotsu shook the ground as he stomped in front of his leader. He gave him a gentle nudge with his fist, as if saying good job, causing Bankotsu to nearly fall over. Mukotsu stood giggling with joy at his friend's arrival, and the delight everyone else was sharing. Renkotsu was blabbering with his usual sophisticated smirk, this time mixed in with relief. Judging by Ginkotsu's pleased nods, Renkotsu was probably sharing what had taken place on his absence, and giving his own two sense about something.

Bankotsu's eyes fell to each one of his friends, and then back to the tearful eyes of Jakotsu, who was still clinging to his neck. They had all been worried about him…they all cared? It was a strange feeling. They had all counted on him…but then again he was their leader after all…no they were more then just a group of mercenaries. They were family. They were his brothers…it started to make sense. He belonged to this handmade family of rejects…and they belonged to him.

The strange smile he had worn slowly turned into a giggle, before he broke out into a hardy laugh at the scene. Jakotsu was the only one who seemed to find this amusing and joined in. Or perhaps he just liked to laugh, Bankotsu thought. It wasn't long before Mukotsu gave in, then Suikotsu, then Kyokotsu, Ginkotsu, and finally despite his composure Renkotsu.

The village headman and a few others watched the laughing murderers from a distance. "Do you suppose they defeated the demon?" one had asked. Another nodded, "Perhaps…but maybe the demon has driven them all mad?"

The village headman watched the scene in a calculating manner, before a smirk fell on his own face. He turned away as if understanding, "No…I believe the demon is gone…"

"Then what is wrong with them?" the first man asked the headman in disbelief. The headman continued to walk, "…he has found himself in his friends…"

The two stood in confusion at the headman's words. It was insanity was what it was. No good would come from them living, they both silently contemplated, before following after their headman.

* * *

A few more weeks had passed, and more castles had fallen at the band's hands. The memory of Shuna was now a distant and unimportant memory. Bankotsu walked down a path with a satisfied smirk on his face. He had now claimed a total of 990 demon lives and 930 human lives. In a little less than a year, he had nearly claimed Banryu's true power. _"…undefeatable…"_ he smiled to himself, "_I will truly be undefeatable…more powerful than I am now…"_

And it was true. He had never lost a battle to anyone. He had risen above his doomed status as a human, and even above the status of demons. He was undefeatable, invincible. The Monk Tikomu's words fell to the back of his mind, "_Are you weak? You fell to the same spell… She as well as you had a weakness or desire that this demon exploited, or tried to" _

He remembered his response, "_Don't be stupid...I'm by no means weak_"

His eyes tightened at the monk's words. Just because he had a desire in his heart, that didn't make him weak. If you were strong how can you be weak? Weakness in the heart? That was stupid. What good could your heart do? A heart couldn't take 2,000 lives. He shook his head in aggravation.

He told himself he was right, but he still couldn't wrap his head around what the stupid monk had meant…what weakness did he have that couldn't be solved by becoming all powerful? He didn't care to think about it any longer. If he couldn't figure it out than it didn't matter.

He remembered the words of Tsumadaru next, the once Divine Being turned demon, "_You were like I was at your age Bankotsu. You are filled with nothing but the desires of strength… even if your people's lands weren't destroyed, and you were born with Divine Powers, you would still be the same, hungry for power"_

He looked down in thought. Were they both saying the same thing? No, he had proven them both wrong. He didn't fall to his desire for power, and fought to save Jakotsu. He remembered yelling at Tsumadaru, _"…I will not fail in my pursuit for power_…_you fell to your own desires, and that made you weak. You became too greedy_…_unlike you I would never let anything blind sight me to betray me friends"_

There was truth in his words, but now that he was so close to strengthening his blade…was strength the most important? He remembered the images of his friends surrounding him upon his return. Looks of relief and joy were present on all of their faces. He nodded in understanding, "_…no…my friends will always come first"_

"…_But when will it ever be enough? When will you ever be strong enough?"_

Bankotsu looked around the area at his last thought, because it wasn't his thought. "Who…who said that?" he whispered to himself.

"_What joy can come? Never being satisfied…is that not what greed is? Is that not what the downfall of man is?"_

"_No!" _he argued with the voice, "_I alone can overcome this…"_

"_That's right" _the voice laughed, "_…Because you're undefeatable…you alone have no weakness…and yet that is your greatest weakness…"_

The voice in his head was starting to sound familiar, the flat sarcasm…the philosophical speaking… He answered it with a smug tone, "_The weak die…the strong live…that is how it works isn't it? How is seeking strength a weakness?" _he mocked the inner voice.

"_That's just it…"_ the voice sighed, "_You can not see anything past this…What happens when you're friends are gone?"_

The reality of the voice's words engulfed him. He stopped walking and stared ahead with a slightly stunned expression on his face…he understood what the voice meant. The need to protect his friends was what was his top priority…if they weren't their to protect…would he become consumed with his second priority? Strength…like Tsumadaru…would that consume him?

He shook his head defiantly, "I have no weaknesses!" he yelled to himself.

Jakotsu turned around, "I never said you did"

Bankotsu looked up, realizing he had just yelled out his inner thoughts. The rest of the Band of Seven looked at their leader. Bankotsu let out a sigh, "…forget it…"

"Hey…hold up a sec…" Jakotsu walked towards Bankotsu, and pointed towards his Divine Mark, "Did it always do that?"

"Do what?" Bankotsu asked…but he somehow felt something strange…almost as if his head was pulsing gently. Renkotsu followed Jakotsu's gaze, "That is indeed strange Brother Bankotsu…"

Bankotsu rolled his eyes, "Yeah? What's going on?"

Jakotsu tilted his head, "…well…your Divine Mark…It's all shiny…"

"Shiny?" he asked…"What the hell does that mean?" he asked in a calm confused tone. Suikotsu's eyes left the sight to see a butterfly randomly glide in the air. It was common enough; Pure white, with a black circle on each wing. What was strange was the timing…"What the hell's it doing out in the damn winter?" Suikotsu spat.

Everyone watched as the insect landed on Bankotsu's Divine Mark, which had been glowing with a strange bright light. When the butterfly landed it too glowed in a bright light, matching the Divine Mark, before it gently disappeared in a dispersing light.

"…Well isn't that strange…" Mukotsu's nose squinted in confusion at the scene. Bankotsu closed his eyes and smirked. It all made sense now. "Those damn butterflies again…" he gently shook his head. "…and her damn logic…"

"Butterflies?" Suikotsu repeated, not sure if he had heard correctly. "Her?" Jakotsu spat in the same way.

"Yeah" Bankotsu spoke, closing all uncertainties in the group. "My Divine Mark…it connects us…" he looked into the forest at his left, "…she's aware of it. She's calling me back"

"Who are you talking about, Big Brother?" Jakotsu placed his hand to his hip, confused at his brother's words. Bankotsu smile to himself and turned to the group that was now behind him. "…Mitaru…"

* * *

**I loved writing the returning scene. They really are a cool crew.**

**So, I wanted to get Bankotsu's ideals and thoughts in this chapter, and his reasoning's for them. I tried to do this throughout the story, but I just wanted to recap since we're coming to the end. You know things like: **

**Why he wants to be strong? Why he distains the weak? Why he feels so strongly compelled to protect his friends? And why he's so apt on not letting his lust for power consume him?**

**Although, if you noticed, when he died the second time, and his friends were all gone, his tragic flaw was greed. I think he understood this in his final minutes, and that's why he smiled. It all made sense. Without his friends, all he cared about was strength. His friends are a HUGE part of his strength…you know the whole someone to protect thing…**

**Anyway, sorry it took me so long to update, but I'm already working on the next chapter. Thanks for reading, I'll update soon.**

**Please Review**

**And as always, Thanks and Much Love,**

**Merky15 **


	24. Bankotsu: Butterflies

**Bankotsu: The Butterflies**

"So…this Mitaru is Bankotsu's…?"

"Mother" Jakotsu finished Suikotsu's question. "He's only ever mentioned her to me a few times" Jakotsu shrugged, "She's a Divine Being"

Renkotsu had already heard this information from Jakotsu when he had first joined the group. Apparently, Bankotsu's parents were both born as Divine Beings, and since he wasn't born on Divine Lands he hadn't inherited that light. Meaning, that Bankotsu was mortal just as they. He held half an ear to the group behind him as Jakotsu whispered the details to the rest of the crew. He looked ahead at his leader. Bankotsu seemed to be in deep thought…nothing ever good came from that. Again he decided against asking Bankotsu what was on his mind, definitely nothing good could ever come from that. "_He said connected…" _he contemplated, "_what did he mean by that? Was his mother summoning him through the power of his Divine Mark?"_

They had walked through an overgrown forested path, with no shortage of butterflies. It seemed strangely peaceful, void of civilization. Bankotsu stopped as a village came into view. Jakotsu came behind him with a sigh, "So much for hoping to get some food…"

The village was completely destroyed. The houses were broken and blackened with what must have been caused by a fire. It just started to attract the growth of the forest, with overgrown grass and weeds starting to find their way towards the destroyed homes. Renkotsu took the scene in, "It must have been destroyed by a demon…"

Bankotsu smirked at Renkotu's words. If only he knew the truth. "…not just a demon"

Suikotsu understood the smirk his leader wore and looked back at the destruction with a new found appreciation. Bankotsu had caused this, long ago.

* * *

Bankotsu walked into the village with his comrades behind him. He looked at his weapon behind him, "_…do remember that day Banryu?…It's where it all started…"_

He paused when something new caught his eyes. Mounds of graves rested neatly in what he assumed had once been a garden. A few old flowers rested in the front. He new who had laid the dead to the rest. He imagined his mother, Mitaru, digging each individual grave, and lying each of his kills to rest. "Pathetic…" he mumbled. To think his mother had taken pity on these fools. The very fools who had scorned them both and exiled them from their precious village. A distasteful expression crossed his face.

"Uh…Brother Bankotsu?" Jakotsu finally asked

Bankotsu quickly snapped out of his thoughts and turned to his comrades. "What is it?"

"What's the plan Bankotsu?"

"Plan?…" he looked down with a serious expression. He knew what he had to do…was he stalling?…no, why'd he need to stall? "I need to speak with her"

"Your mom right?" Jakotsu placed his hands in his sleeves in a contemplating manner. Bankotsu looked up with a small sigh, "Yeah, that's right. She has information for me"

"What sort of information, big brother?" Renkotsu asked.

Bankotsu looked to his second in command with a shrug, "…Don't know"

He looked back to his front, into the forest. "All of you stay here…" he began to walk towards his destination, "I'll be back within the hour"

"But Brother Bankotsu…" Jakotsu began with a whine. Bankotsu raised his hand behind him as he continued forward, "Remember Jakotsu…I'll always come back"

Jakotsu nodded at his brother's words. He hadn't broken his promise yet…He smiled and waved him off, "Hurry back Bankotsu!"

* * *

Bankotsu walked through the familiar settings. He watched the butterflies fill the peaceful lands. It wasn't unusual to see this. His mother had often created these insects with her own Divine Light, similar to being her own Shikigami. What was unusual was the number she had created. She had never had the need to create this many before…what could have changed this? Maybe it kept her preoccupied after he had left…he shrugged the thoughts away. That didn't really matter.

He paused when the familiar home came into view. It looked the exact same. His expression softened…it was the same…everything…

"I was wondering when you'd come?"

Bankotsu looked to his left to see a familiar woman examining a small fluttering butterfly that landed gracefully on her hand.

Bankotsu turned to the woman, "Yeah, well…I've been busy" he allowed his Banryu to clink against his armor and smirked. The woman understood the meaning, but said nothing. She lifted her hand, and allowed the insect to freely flutter off before she gracefully began to walk away. Her movements were so elegant it appeared as if she was gliding across the floor.

Bankotsu's expression soured, "Where the hell are you going?"

She didn't answer. He rolled his eyes. She wanted him to follow her. He did so reluctantly. He hated it when she did this. After a few minutes of silence she came to a stop at a green field, this time filled with the white insects.

He watched them with slight awe…he had never seen so many before. The illuminated against the night sky, with a very faint touch of Divine Light. "They keep me company…" she spoke softly.

"Friends of yours huh?" he spoke with an arrogant twinge in his voice.

"Yes…" she spoke calmly, "not as…exciting…as yours, but they make do"

"You know of them do you?" he wasn't surprised. She was connected to him through the Divine Mark on his forehead. He felt it give that light pulse…it had started glowing again ever since he approached the inside of this forest.

"…I do…"

He sent her a scowl of annoyance, "Cut the crap Mitaru. You know why I'm here!"

Her expression hadn't changed. She wasn't surprised at his word choice. Their relationship wouldn't be the same again. She was disappointed in him and he was disgusted with her. He wasn't the same young boy she had remembered. His time spent away from her had confirmed what she believed would occur.

For the first time she turned to face the boy she had once held so dear to her heart. He had the same care free expression in his eyes. He had given her the same familiar pout he had done in his youth. She stared deep into his eyes. They weren't filled with the cold murderous malice a man with much blood on his hands had usually worn, but they weren't the same gleeful and innocent eyes she had last remembered.

He had seen much in his time away from her, and what more he had contemplated much. He was still seeking answers, looking for reasons. His eyes weren't cold, there was still warmth there…reserved for a selective few. "_…but with them gone…where will he be?"_

She glided closer to the young boy in front of her. She gently placed her hand to his cheek, and he made no objections. She stared into his unchanging eyes. "_…you have murdered so many…" _she thought.

"_And I will kill many more…"_

"_I have no doubts of that…You fight for you friends…what happens when they are gone?"_

"_They won't die…not while I'm with them"_

"_Such confidence…you are not a God"_

"_Then I'll become stronger than one"_

"…_you are flawed…you will not live forever"_

"…_Then I will do what I want while I am alive"_

"…_you have become so tainted…if you value only the lives of the few, what will happen when you fail them? You will be consumed by your own selfish desire for power…you will fall…a most painful fate…a lonely one…"_

"_You underestimate me. I am undefeatable…I can not lose"_

"_When you're alone…and the need for power consumes you…you will become weak…"_

"_I'm by no means weak…the fools who fall to my blade are weak" _

"…_you underestimate the strength of the heart…that is your weakness. Bankotsu, how did you become so blind?"_

She removed her hand from her son's cheek. "…you are still very young…but fate has dealt you a cruel hand…"

"Hmmm…what cuz I was born as a human?"

She listened to his words. It meant that he had accepted his existence as being mortal. She looked back to the floating butterflies, "Do you recall the last time I touched your Divine Mark?"

He nodded he understood what she was talking about, "Yeah…you said that if I kept going down the road of bloodshed, that I would obtain ultimate power…"

Of course that would be the part he remembered. She looked up, "…at the cost of having to meet an unfortunate fate…"

"…what do you mean?…is that why it's glowing?"

She turned back to her son, "When I first grabbed hold of you it told me that you would become great. The second time it told me that you were to become great at a cost…and now…"

"It will let you know what that cost will be?"

She gave a single shake of her head, "…I do not know. It glows when something of signifigance occurs…a life changing moment. When you were born, when you left, and now…"

Bankotsu looked down for a moment. His mark had the ability to give Mitaru insight on his future. It was a reliable tool, but it had its own consequences. He looked at the field of butterflies as he nodded at his decision. "…Tell me…I want to know…"

"I thought you would…" she approached her son, and he lowered his head the way he had done before. He closed his eyes as his mothers hand encompassed the glowing cross.

Images entered her mind as her son's mind went blank. Her eyes tightened and her mouth twitched with the passing images. She had seen the truth…the fate of her son…she felt her heart tighten…

She released her hand a short moment later. Bankotsu placed his hand to his un-glowing mark. Like last time, he felt dizzy, as if he had just awoken from a long nap. He looked at his mother's torn and somber expression. A serious look befell his face, "…Mitaru…what did you see?"

She slowly looked to her son. The last time she had answered that she had said, "…_your death…"_

She saw her son's unchanging expression. "…It has come…"

He felt his teeth tighten. He knew what she was speaking of. He didn't think of it since the last day he had seen her. His death…it didn't seem possible. How could he die? He was Bankotsu, the undefeated leader of the dreaded Band of Seven.

"Soon…" she turned away from him, "your search for strength will lead to your demise…"

"When?" he asked simply…he wasn't scared of death…he just wanted to avoid it for as long as he could.

She thought on his question for a short moment. "…when the snow first falls…"

He looked down as he contemplated all his mother had to say. It was already winter…it would be soon. "…is that all then?…"

Her face tightened in contemplation. Should she tell him the rest? She looked back at his accepting face, "…what will you do? Will you forfeit your search for strength? Will you choose life over death?"

He looked up as he thought of this question. It was well founded. What would he do now? He looked back at his mother when he was satisfied with his answer. His arrogant smile had returned, "I'm not afraid of death. I told you before. Life is short for me, as a mortal, I will live my life as I want. What is life if you live it in fear of dying?"

"So you continue with your Band of Seven?" she looked away with slight disgust in her voice. He couldn't help but chuckle at her tone, "You thought I'd do otherwise? You should know by now…I fear nothing"

"I forget" she sighed, "You do not value life…even if it is your own…"

"That's not entirely true…" he turned to leave, "I feel the most alive when I'm killing, as do my comrades…Giving that up…is a fate worse than death…"

"_You believe that now…but when the snow falls…you will know great sorrow my son…great pain…" _but that wasn't all of it. There would be more. Mitaru called back to her son. There was no point in keeping it a secret. Even if he didn't now, he would continue on his on slot of killings. "…there is one more thing…"

He stopped and turned his head over his shoulder, "…"

She slowly turned to him as she spoke, "…you will die…but…" she rethought her choice to tell him. "…It won't be over…"

"It won't be over?" he repeated

"You will come back…you will be given life once again…"

He turned his head back with a smile, "…the same body?"

"…you will be you…"

"I see…" he started off again. She watched as he slowly walked off, back to his friends. "See you in the next life then mother" he smirked.

Her expression softened as he slowly disappeared from view. He had indeed become tainted, as was Banryu…but he wasn't completely taken over. He wasn't as malicious and evil as someone who had killed so much should be. "…_he'll learn…"_ she thought, "_…it will all make sense to you in the next life my son…you will finally understand…"_

* * *

Jakotsu rolled his eyes as he leaned against a large rock. He wished his brother would have let him meet his mother. It seemed important… "_I wonder what she wanted…"_

Suikotsu let out a small growl as a butterfly landed on his nose. The stupid insects were everywhere he went. He quickly swiped both of his claws towards his face in order to slash the insect, but yelled in annoyance as it easily glided out of the way. Mukotsu let out a loud giggle at the exaggerated manner Suikotsu failed to kill such a small prey.

"SHUT IT, MUKOTSU!" he snapped at the little man.

"Come now, don't take your frustration out on me. It isn't my fault you allowed such a small prey to escape"

"Like you can do any better" he sneered

Mukotsu giggled at the challenge, "Simple enough…" he looked at the small flying creature, and slightly lifted his veil to spit a stream of poison at the insect. When he missed, he continued to shoot the stream of smoke following after the butterfly's path. At one point he nearly missed the ducking Renkotsu's head. "WATCH IT MUKOTSU!!!"

"…oops…my apologies…"

Renkotsu rolled his eyes. "…reduced to catching butterflies…" he grumbled as he rose back up. Renkotsu's mumblings were cut short when Kyokotsu's large iron ball fell to the ground a few inches from him. He roughly fell back t the ground from the sheer force.

"…Damn…" Kyokotsu sighed, "…I barely missed it…"

Renkotsu gritted his teeth and growled at his teammates antics. Suikotsu pointed his claws accusingly to the group, "See, not as easy as you thought is it?!"

"Well, duh" Jakotsu placed his hands to his hips, "You have to sneak up on it"

Suikotsu watched as his prey landed on a nearby tree. "…Got you now you little bastard" he whispered to himself as he gently tip-toed to the tree. He slowly lifted up his claw, and slashed it at the small insect.

Suikotsu groaned as the butterfly casually glided away. He moved to follow, but was forced back. He looked to the tree to see his claws stuck inside the thick bark. "Son of a…"

Jakotsu fell over laughing as Suikotsu struggled to remove his claws. The clawed mercenary placed each leg against the truck and pulled with all his might to free himself. "Wait till I get out of here Jakotsu!!!" he threatened.

His empty threats made the situation all the more hilarious as Jakotsu grasped his side. "Yeah…big words coming from a guy who can't even kill a stupid bug"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY AND KILL THAT TRICKY BASTARD!!!" Suikotsu yelled. After a few more pushes he finally broke free and flew a few feet back from the force. He looked up as he was caught in Ginkotsu's arms. "Thanks…" he mumbled.

"Gh-yes, no problem" Ginkotsu smiled.

"Now I'll show you how it's done" Jakotsu smirked as he stood in front of the group behind him. Suikotsu rolled his eyes, still firmly grasped in Ginkotsu's arms like an infant, and pointed his claws accusingly at Jakotsu, "Easier said than done! What makes you think you can do it?!"

Jakotsu smirked as he watched the butterfly land on a nearby bush. He pulled his Jakotsuto back in preparation to attack. "Jakotsuto doesn't miss…"

He swung his blade into the bush at the small insect. His eyes widened in surprise as a swarm of butterflies exploded from the bush and in their direction. "AHH!" He screamed as he hit the deck covering his head, "THEY'RE RETALIATING!!!"

Ginkotsu, who was standing directly behind Jakotsu, threw up his arms in a panic causing Suikotsu to be thrown roughly in the air. As an army of butterflies swarmed into Ginkotsu's face, the mechanical man roughly fell back into a tree in a panic.

Renkotsu's flames extinguished a large amount of butterflies, but a majority of them had glided off.

Jakotsu rose with a triumphant smirk, "You did it Renkotsu!!! You saved us!!!"

"From the butterflies?" Renkotsu worded out. He placed his hand to his head as he felt another migraine start to come on. "They were only fleeing from your blade Jakotsu"

Jakotsu pouted as he crossed his arms, "…they seemed pretty pissed to me…"

Bankotsu came onto the scene to see Ginkotsu awkwardly thrown against a tree, and Suikotsu spread out on the floor. "…What happened here?"

Mukotsu giggled, "Just taking care of a few pests captain…"

Ginkotsu let out a cough as a small butterfly flew out of his mouth. Bankotsu watched the butterfly swirl around in the air. He looked to the mechanical man, "…I had no idea you enjoyed the taste of butterflies" he smirked.

Ginkotsu sent him an annoyed glare. After living through a wild butterfly attack, jokes didn't seem funny. Bankotsu let out a small chuckle, having already realized what had taken place. "Oh, my mistake then"

Bankotsu lifted his halberd and let the weight fall back down. "Lets get going then"

He walked over the fallen Suikotsu, "Enough laying around Suikotsu. We've got work to do"

Suikotsu sent the leader a small scowl. His eyes slightly widened as the butterfly from Ginkotsu's mouth landed elegantly on his nose. He closed his eyes, and let out a defeated sigh. There was no denying it, this was the same butterfly from the beginning. "Tricky little bastard…"

* * *

**I really loved this chapter. I've been dying to write it since I first started the story. **

**Two things: One did you guys get the butterfly thing? If you watched the first Bankotsu episode, there's a random butterfly that buzzes around. I watched it and thought, Why would that butterfly just be randomly fluttering around Bankotsu like that? When he looks at it, before he decides to chop it into little pieces, he gives it an inquisitive little look. If you think about it in this story's perspective, it's like he's sending his mother a message. That he's alive again, and that he's even more powerful…that and he's letting her know that he's aware that she knows he's alive.**

**Two, do you remember when Bankotsu gives Ginkotsu the butterfly and says, "You wanted to eat it didn't you?"**

**I thought it was such a strange comment. Then I thought, hey wouldn't it be funny if it was just an inside joke? So I decided to incorporate the butterflies into the story. Both reasons are why it was given the title, "Bankotsu: Butterflies"**

**Also, I thought that scene with the butterflies was adorable. Butterfly catching, Band of Seven style. Poor little Suikotsu… he's so cute.**

**Let me know what you guys thought about this chapter. It really was one of my favorites to write. I really love hearing from you guys.**

**Thanks so much for reading and reviewing,**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	25. Bankotsu: The Message

**Bankotsu: The Message**

"My Lord…"

The lord of the castle, was a tall lanky man, middle aged man. There was nothing special about him. He like most lord, carried an air of superiority that he hadn't earned. He looked down at the bowing man. He was strong, and his ferocity in battle was a strong asset to his castle. "Speak General" he sighed, as if the man was barley worth his time.

"I regret to inform you, my lord, that the rumors are indeed true…"

"Rumors?" he asked. While he wouldn't admit it, he wasn't the most aware lord. He didn't bother himself with the problems of the lands. His mind fell to more materialistic values.

"Yes my Lord. The Band of Seven. They are headed this direction, as the rumors had said. They had just finished destroying the Korichi-tama clan in the East. They are now traveling here, to the Northern Lands"

"The Band of Seven?…" he slowly repeated to himself. Yes, they sounded familiar. They were a murderous group of mercenaries. With the on slot of wars it was only natural for such characters to make themselves present. He laughed to himself, "They are said to be quite devious, but why should I fear this? Is our castle not the strongest in the region?"

"Pardon me my Lord…if I may…"

The lord gave his general a curt nod. The general lifted his face, covered by a thick mask, carved with the image of a dragon's face. An image of power and strength. "As you have said my Lord, there is an air of war that surrounds the region. It is already known that the eastern castle from us, the Tokuarshi Clan, are planning attack with us. There is also an air of tension in the Western and Southern castles as well"

"What are you saying General?"

"Simply that, with the Band of Seven arriving, the spark of tension will be ignited. Their name is known throughout the lands. They will provide the confidence for opposing castles to engage in war…wherever they travel, destruction and death follow closely behind"

"…will you not be able to stop them?" the lord asked accusingly

The General tightened at this, he would not admit to being beneath them, but the rumors were very detailed. "…It is said that the Band of Seven can do the work of 100 men. Many have even declared them to be demons rather than humans…"

"What is it that you wish General? You disdain the Band of Seven, you do not wish for them to be hired by any castle, with good reason, and yet you believe them to be too strong to fall by our own hands…"

"I believe that the Band of Seven should be used to our advantage…"

"Advantage?…You wish to hire them?" he took it into consideration, "With them…we could claim domination over the other clans…yet there is still a matter of earning their trust…I don't wish for my future lands to be as devastated as the Band of Seven's previous battlegrounds"

"Your thoughts are indeed wise my Lord"

"You have thought of a solution?"

"Quite, we will arrive to them first, before the other clans have the chance"

"Yes?…"

"We will quiet all the unrest in the lands by attacking are strongest adversary, the castle in the east. With our power shown, we will then offer a chance for union…"

A large smile fell on the lord's face. "Ah!" he nodded in realization, "They will have no choice but to agree to our proposal, lest we unleash the Band of Seven on them. There is of course one problem General"

The General watched as the Lord walked towards an ornamented set of samurai armor on the opposite wall. He gently ran his fingers across it, "It is not wise to rule those who lack trust…The Band of Seven won't serve under us forever…while a temporary union may be voiced by our enemies, it will not remain after the Band of Seven departs. Nor will the Band of Seven serve under any one lord, correct?"

"Indeed my Lord" he nodded, "You are wise in your reasoning. I believe I have a solution to this"

"Is that so? Prey tell…"

"…what better to seal our deal of unity then uniting against a common enemy?"

"A common…enemy…?" the lord parroted slowly. His eyes glowed with realization at his general's plan. It was shear genius, and completely fail proof. "Yes….yes…" he pounded his fist into his open palm, "I believe it shall work rather nicely. Go forth, you have my approval"

"Aye, my Lord"

* * *

The Band of Seven were heading northward, after having done a nice job of obliterating several armies in the east. Their last one had been particularly brutal. In fact, Korichi-tama castle looked more like a barren field than an actual village town. Bankotsu laughed to himself as the group headed down the forest path, "You guys are getting really good at this…"

"You think so big brother?" Jakotsu laughed

"Yeah" he gave a gentle shake of his head, "You bunch of blood thirsty animals kill so many people, I was barely even able to get a kill in myself…"

Suikotsu pointed an accusing claw at Ginkotsu, "The big guy over here killed most of them when he blasted down their castle…"

Ginkotsu gave a few deep chuckles at this, "…Gh-yes…"

Bankotsu gave a gentle shrug at the laughter behind him. It was true. He wasn't able to kill as many as he wanted to when he battled their last castle. He was up to a good 940 human deaths. One more battle, and he would be to meet his quota for human lives. "_Then I'll slaughter ten more demons, and Banryu will truly be unstoppable…"_ he let the thought consume his expression.

"Brother Bankotsu?"

He turned to his left to see Renkotsu. The taller brother spoke after getting Bankotsu's attention, "There's been talk of a lot of tension in this area in particular…but there will be a large amount of hostility here…"

"What's wrong with that?" Bankotsu smiled, "All it means is that it won't be hard getting work here"

Mukotsu gave his nasally giggle, "Quite, and the payments will be exceptionally higher than usual to ensure we work for their army…"

Renkotsu looked down in thought. He didn't have a good feeling about this. True, there would be a large profit to be made…but there was too many castles involved. There was too much politics in the area. When there was one army against another it wasn't as complicated. Now there was 4 note worth castles at war. Negotiations and treachery would surely come into play. It wasn't wise to think of things in such a black and white way. Was Bankotsu aware of this? He gave a weak nod to the confidence Bankotsu wore…perhaps he should trust him. "As you wish, big brother…"

Bankotsu stopped walking as a familiar sound entered his head. His brother's repeated his action. Bankotsu smirked as a man on horseback came their way. His stead came to an abrupt stop when it arrived in front of the group. "Are-are you the Band of Seven?"

The soldier was a funny looking man, a few years older than him perhaps. He was scared, and masked it poorly. Bankotsu smiled at this, it was the biggest mistake the fool could make. His thoughts were confirmed when he heard Suikotsu let out a small grumble of delight. If there was a particular victim that brought Suikotsu joy it was the ones who would tremble in fear…even better, the ones who would deny the fear he could instill.

Bankotsu answered, listening to his brother move his claws back and forth impatiently, "Whose asking?"

"I-I was sent by the Lord of Kurisaki Castle to the North…"

Bankotsu noted the red flag that the man carried, adorned with twin white triangles. It was the symbol for their clan, most likely. He watched the mousey man continue, "…He-he wishes to-to-…" his words faded out as his eyes met for the first time with Suikotsu's.

Bankotsu watched as the man's face turned a ghastly white. He began to twitch and fidget with the horses reigns. The horse itself grew nervous by the man's actions and began to move uneasily. A smirk fell on Bankotsu's face. The man's appearance had served to resemble that of a small mouse… "_Meaning Suikotsu's the cat…he's got the claws for it"_

He shook the laugh away and looked back to the fear ridden messenger. "To enlist us in an upcoming war?" he finished.

The messenger gave a single nod, "I-Indeed…I have the….decree…" he began to fumble with the bag at his side as he tried to pull out the scroll given to him. He froze as an eerie and deadly voice came from his blind side. "…need some assistance?" the voice resembled a threatening moan than anything else. The fidgety man fell off of his horse in fear. He let out a loud scream as he did so, causing the horse to gallop off into the distance. Suikotsu looked down at the frightened man.

Bankotsu shook his head in delight. He knew this was going to happen. The fool would have been wise to keep his cool…the fool was marked dead before he even arrived here. He knew his comrades wore the same anticipating gleams.

"Well…" Suikotsu spoke to the fallen soldier, "Isn't that a bit of bad luck…" again there was a low growl hidden deep in his voice. He held out his claws. "Here…" he grimaced in delight, "Let me help you up…"

The man scurried back in fear, "ST-STAY BACK!!!!"

"There he goes enticing his prey again…" Renkotsu shook his head in a halfhearted way.

"How long you reckon this guy has?" Jakotsu asked

Mukotsu placed his fingers to hi chin in a contemplating way, "…I doubt he's a biter…"

Jakotsu looked down at Mukotsu, "Oho, No way!" he smiled, "This guy is totally going to take the bait!!!"

"Care to make a wager?" he eyed Jakotsu testingly

"The usual?"

"Indeed" he giggled back. Renkotsu rolled his eyes with a smile at his friends antics, "You'd think that the two of you would tire of this…"

"What's the matter?…" Suikotsu took a step closer, "…Do my claws scare you?…"

"No P-Please…"

Suikotsu ignored the sniveling man and took another step forward. The man scurried back again, now with his back trapped behind a tree. Suikotsu casually strolled towards him with a twisted smile, "Why do you run?…"

"STAY BACK!!!" the man finally yelled, pulling out the small sword at his side.

Bankotsu let out a bored sigh. The idiot would have been wise to of kept still and quiet. That way Suikotsu would have quickly lost interest in him. "_Oh, well…at least it kept Suikotsu preoccupied…"_

The messenger brought the sword down towards Suikotsu. Suikotsu's grin widened as he sidestepped the attack, and let his claws slice through his prey. He gave a weak moan, his eyes filled with fear, and fell motionless to the floor.

"…idiot…" Suikotsu sneered

"I WIN!" Jakotsu gleamed with delight. Mukotsu let out a small sigh in defeat, as Jakotsu looked down at the loser. "I get your sake tonight!" he teased.

"Why must you always kill the messenger Suikotsu? It's bad form" Renkotsu reprimanded in a bored fashion. Suikotsu shook off the blood from his claws, "I can't help it when they act all fidgety like that. It's like their begging me to slice them in half…" he shrugged.

"In any case" Bankotsu began, "Grab me the letter he was fishing for, since you're the one that stopped him"

Suikotsu rolled his eyes and began looking through the man's bags. Unfortunately, the messenger wasn't the most organized. His bag was filled with scrolls, "HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO KNOW WHICH IS THE RIGHT ONE!?" he yelled in surprise.

"Think of that the next time you decide to kill a messenger before he gives us the message" Bankotsu shot gently. Suikotsu let out a low grumble as he set forth to his task, mumbling about not being a damn scribe as he did so.

"It seems you were right about finding work rather easily…but don't we already know where to go?" Renkotsu began, motioning to Suikotsu who was angrily going through every scroll, "We head to the northern castle, we already know their insignia from the flag the horse carried…"

"…true…" Bankotsu nodded mischievously at this, before changing the subject. "He said they needed assistance…"

Renkotsu nodded, "Indeed. Do you believe this to be against one army, or against them all?"

Bankotsu thought on this. His men had fought single handedly against an entire army before, no problem. They could even possibly take on two…anymore would be more than a challenge… "We'll have to see what the Lord of the northern castle says. I suspect that if we are battling against more than 2 armies, we will need the assistance of their army as well"

Renkotsu nodded in agreement, before turning back to Suikotsu. The clawed warrior quickly jumped up, waving a piece of parchment in his hands. "I FOUND IT!" he loudly boasted.

"Good" Bankotsu nodded as he started off down the road. Suikotsu watched quizzically as the other members of his band walked past him, following Bankotsu. He looked at the parchment and then to his retreating teammates. The reality slowly hit him…they never needed the damn scroll. "WHAT THE HELL?!!"

"Hurry Suikotsu or you'll be left behind…" Jakotsu called after with a chuckle in his words. Suikotsu felt his temple throb as he roughly crinkled up the useless piece of paper and roughly throw it at the corpse beside him. "…bastards…" he mumbled before rushing to catch up with his fellow brothers.

* * *

**Suikotsu is so awesome in this chapter. I love picking on him too, he's so cute. XD I can see Ban doing something like this too.**

**So some of you may be happy to note that I decided to take my time with the ending. Since it's the climax of the story and all, I thought it would be best not to rush over it. That being said, I'm going to have about 3-5 more chapters instead of wrapping it up with 2-3. It depends on how much I decide to write. So, I'm gonna start on the next chapter, as soon as I post this. Please Review and tell me what you think. **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing,**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	26. Bankotsu: The Samurai's Proposal

**Bankotsu: The Samurai's Proposal**

Bankotsu ignored the cold gust of wind that blew against his face. The excitement of their newest job filled his mind. He wouldn't deny that the tension around the area filled him with a deep sense of excitement. Plenty of potential for bloodshed was in the area. Banryu would be unstoppable.

Finding the castle wasn't hard. Renkotsu found northbound and they were off. The familiar red flag crested with twin white diamonds became visible soon enough. "_Soon Banryu…soon…"_

"That last battle was a lot of fun wasn't it?" Jakotsu smiled to his allies. Deciding to be the first to vocalize his excitement. Suikotsu nodded at Jakotsu's words, long forgetting his anger from earlier. He recalled the last battleground, "I liked it when they begged for mercy"

Ginkotsu smirked in approval, "Gh-yes"

Jakotsu turned to the above trees, visualizing the future events that would transpire. He could not recall a time when he was this happy, this accepted. He was surrounded by his family, his brothers, who shared the same thrill of battle, of bloodshed. Seeing the wild eyed panic in a victim before the final blow…what could be more invigorating? "Maybe the next job will be just as enjoyable…" he thought to himself. They were improving in their destruction with every war. No opposing soldier would be left alive.

Renkotsu turned to Bankotsu, who stayed in his own silent contemplation. "Maybe. What do you think big brother?"

Jakotsu smiled at Renkotsu's attempt to pull Bankotsu in, "Will it be fun?"

"Yes…" Bankotsu slowly thought out. He fully grasped the signifigance of their next job. "I rather think that it will be…"

He came to a pause, and the others followed suit. Bankotsu looked up to the mountain at his side. Castle walls twisted their way around the terrain, as did the castle itself. Bankotsu tilted his head in its direction, "Look there…the castle…"

* * *

The guards must have been aware of their arriving, no one stopped them as they marched towards the castle. A clear path was made for them, each soldier wore a solemn expression. In most cases it was just an attempt to mask their fear. Bankotsu heard the walls close behind him as he entered, again surrounded by the uptight guards. Bankotsu stood still as a large man's back was before him. He alone, stood out from the solders around him. "_So…he must be the guy in charge…"_

He looked like any other ordinary general. He had an uptight, stern air around him. "_They're the funniest to bring down…" _Bankotsu thought to himself. If Suikotsu had his favorite prey, so too did he. Those that fancied themselves powerful, while misjudging his own power…watching realization hit them was an indescribable sensation. Bankotsu smirked as the general turned around. Adorning his face was a mask, encrusted with the face of what would appear to be a dragon from old legends. Perhaps it was a way to increase his strength on the battlefield, "_Stupid superstitious crap…"_

He wondered if the warlord read his thoughts when a complete look of disdain fell on the general's face. "_…wouldn't that be something…" _he mused silently to himself.

Of course, he was used to such looks by now. No one who hired the Band of Seven enjoyed the fact that they hired them. Looks of fear and disgust followed them, but they were nonetheless essential for many victories they had proclaimed.

Jakotsu also felt the look of revulsion and stopped himself from snorting, "So, whose this guy?" he whispered.

Renkotsu rolled his eyes at his friend's ignorance. "_You'd think he'd realize how it all worked by now_"

Renkotsu whispered back to Jakotsu, "He's the general of the samurai of this castle…"

"You're kidding…isn't the lord himself gonna appear?…"

The general's eyes didn't leave Bankotsu's. His fist's tightened as he watched the arrogant smirk that adorned the young man's face. Such impudence from such a brat was infuriating. He recalled his business, "My lord wants you to attack a certain village in the eastern lands…"

"As an advance team?"

"If the Band of Seven are as good as the rumors say then it shall be no problem…" he sneered out.

Bankotsu smiled at this. It was the same as every other time. No one gave a damn about them…not that it mattered. It was even funnier that they had to reduce themselves to ask for assistance. It was killing the general that he wasn't good enough and needed the assistance of his men. The fact that he was so much younger only added to the insult. "If you meet our price…"

"My lord has instructed me to pay whatever you command…"

Bankotsu nodded at the agreement, a large smile on his face, "Then we accept"

"Tokuarshi Clan is the Eastern castle in these regions. You will be attacking their most prosperous village, Sai. As I assume you are aware, tension in this land is high. When word transfers to Tokurashi that the village is a sunder, their army will invade. My lord expects them to be whipped out"

"I see…" Bankotsu smiled, "Quite a tricky tactic…I assume you do not wish them to know it was you who attacked them?…"

The general's eyes tightened. Had the boy already figured out his intentions? How would that be possible?

Bankotsu let Banryu gently rise and fall on his shoulder, "…that way, they will not know who to retaliate against at first…you'll have an opportunity for a surprise invasion that way…right?"

The generals body loosened. So, he hadn't figured it out. He continued to glare at the boy, "…indeed…You will attack the village of Sai at once…"

"You work fast don't ya? That's fine. We'll work out our payment after Sai is wiped out"

The general gave him a single nod, before starting off. He turned to a soldier at his side, "Bring me forth 3 of our fastest messengers…"

The soldier gave the general an uneasy look, "…Yes sir…but unfortunately, our fastest messenger has yet to return to us…"

"What?" The general spat in disbelief to the awkward underling.

Bankotsu felt his eyes give a silent twitch as he quickly turned to leave. The others understood and followed the action. Jakotsu alone stood in place, tilting his head, "…what's the hurry all of a sudden?…"

Renkotsu grabbed Jakotsu's arm as he headed off, "Just come on…" he sighed, "I'll explain later…"

Renkotsu continued to pull Jakotsu away as a strange feeling hit the pit of his stomach, "…_Why would they require messengers at this time?…Did they not wish for a silent invasion?…"_

* * *

"Sai Village, eh?" Kyokotsu asked as he looked below at the village, from atop a large hill. Mukotsu nodded with a giggle, "According to that samurai, yes. Not quite as lavish as I would have excepted…"

Mukotsu laughed at the sarcasm of his statement. The village was indeed a large and prosperous one. Tokuarshi Clan must have been quite prestigious. The castle must have been huge. He heard Bankotsu's footsteps fall behind him, "We need to get this done fast…"

"Awe…." Jakotsu sighed, "But I wanted to have fun…"

Renkotsu rolled his eyes, "Relax Jakotsu, the real fun doesn't happen until the army comes. We're just attacking common folk. They run away easy enough…" he turned to Bankotsu, "Ginkotsu and myself can blow the place down, and wait for the army to arrive…"

Bankotsu played out the idea in his head. He decided that the last 60 human deaths on his Banryu should come from soldiers, not villagers. Besides, the faster this was the done, the faster the soldiers arrived. "Get started then Renkotsu…Ginkotsu, blast the walls down, and all the buildings"

Ginkotsu gave a low grumble of delight, "Gh-yes, with pleasure…"

Large explosions filled the air, and screams soon followed. "That's your que…" Bankotsu smirked at Renkotsu. Renkotsu nodded, and Ginkotsu and himself were off.

"What about me?" Jakotsu hopped eagerly from foot to foot. Bankotsu smirked at the puppy faces the rest of his comrades gave him. He shook his head with a defeated sigh, "Fine…but be ready for when the army arrives, and finish it up quickly…" his eyes hardened ever so slightly, "That means you Jakotsu…"

"Oh, come on. I know how to hurry…" he sighed as he ran after Renkotsu. The other members quickly followed after him. Bankotsu stood on the hill for a moment, admiring his brothers, before he casually followed after them.

* * *

"PLEASE, DON'T….PLEA-…"

Suikotsu laughed as he easily slaughtered the last of the household. "Sorry…" he smirked, "I'm on a time limit here…"

Jakotsu quickly scurried into the house, and let out an exasperated sigh at the scene. "Really? This one too? UGH!" he crossed his arms, "All the good ones are already taken…"

"I take it you didn't get your fill…" Suikotsu smirked after admiring the blood glistening claws. Jakotsu pouted at the statement, "…how could I? Everyone's dead now, and Bankotsu didn't even give me a chance to play with any of them…That army better get here soon…"

"You know" Suikotsu sighed, "I think I saw a few kills run into the horse stables…"

"REALLY?" Jakotsu's face lit up as he ran towards the horse stable. He easily kicked the door down, "Knock, knock!"

The smile quickly left his face as he saw two young girls squeezing each other with fright. "PLEASE DON'T KILL US!!!"

Jakotsu stopped himself from crying in disbelief and falling over. "_Figures….damn, my luck sucks today…"_

Tears ran down the women's faces as they backed into the corner, "PLEASE, DON'T HURT US!!!"

"Don't flatter yourselves!" Jakotsu spat. He shook his head in disbelief, "Figures, I finally find something to kill, and its two stupid wenches…Stupid Suikotsu, he could have at least warned me, but Noooooo…. Everyone around here is so inconsiderate…"

The girls watched as the strange man paced back and forth, having a private conversation with himself. After another minute, he let out a defeated sigh. "I guess beggars can't be choosers…two wenches is better than nothing I suppose" he lifted his blade to finish off the two, trying to find joy in their terror ridden faces. "Later losers!"

"Excellent!" a nasally laugh began, "I didn't know we still had ladies present. How fortunate for me"

Jakotsu slowly looked down at Mukotsu who began to inhale from a container, "WAIT MUKOTSU, DON-"

Jakotsu's eye twitched in disbelief as Mukotsu spewed out a grey fog at the woman, who awkwardly cringed, before collapsing to the ground. Jakotsu let a weak finger point in disbelief at the scene.

Mukotsu gave a satisfied smile, before turning to Jakotsu. "Now, what was it you were saying Jakot-"

Two hands firmly grasped Mukotsu's collar and began to shake roughly, cutting off Mukotsu's sentence. "HOW COULD YOU, YOU STUPID LITTLE WORM!!!! AFTER I GO THROUGH THE TROUBLE OF FINDING THEM!!!"

"Hey" Bankotsu calmly called, poking his head inside the stable. "The infantry has finally arrived…"

Jakotsu let Mukotsu fall to the floor with a thud. His eyes twinkled in delight, "Really?"

Bankotsu smirked at the expression, "Yeah…now the fun can begin…"

Mukotsu slowly gained back his composure and sat back up. Bankotsu's last words began to make sense in his head. The army had arrived.

* * *

**Sorry it took so long, but there's the next chapter. Hopefully, you guys recognized some of the scenes in this chapter from the scenes in the episodes. Thanks for bearing with me, I will get this story done before May. I have 2-3 more chaps. **

**With that said, please let me know what you guys think of the story, via reviews :D**

**Also, if you enjoy this, then check out, "The grieving dog and the Lonely Mercenary" It's a one shot I wrote, featuring Bankotsu and Sesshomaru. It's on my page.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	27. Bankotsu: The Battlefield

**Bankotsu: The Battlefield **

The Band of Seven admired the blazing flames that consumed the once prosperous village. It was a rarity that rumors were ever true, and yet here they were living more then up to their name. Bankotsu smirked at his thoughts. His smile increased when he pictured the expression Mitaru would have worn after seeing his massacre. "_It's nothing compared to what's going to happen next…"_

The ground beneath their feet rumbled, and they knew what was approaching. Devious smiles fell on each of their faces at the thought of fresh blood and the thrill of battle.

"This is it men…" Bankotsu spoke as the army came into view, "Let's have ourselves some fun"

"And here I thought it would never come" Jakotsu smirked as Jakotsuto was pulled back.

Bankotsu watched as the army rushed towards them at full pace. Banryu twisted in the air, ready for the new blood that would soon adorn it. "…Now!"

Flames burst as the simple word was spoken, and the sound of screams yet again filled the air. Suikotsu and Bankotsu jumped over the fire on opposite sides, and into the confused army below. The front battalion was the first to go. Bankotsu smiled at Suikotsu as he easily shredded a handful of men, some still gagging for breath on the floor, only to be stepped on by Kyokotsu. "How many does that make?" Suikotsu laughed at Bankotsu.

Bankotsu raised a knowing brow at his friend after slicing threw his 942 victim. "Don't tell me you want to lose again Suikotsu?"

"Bring it on shorty" he yelled back as he killed another set of soldiers. "That little sword of yours is too slow"

"We'll see about that after Banryu makes a mockery out of those knives you call claws!"

"Mukotsu laughed at the two. Being the only close range combatants competition was common between them. "There they go again…"

Kyokotsu laughed at the man on his shoulders. "So it would seem. Tell me brother Mukotsu, where do you wish to leave our own mark?"

"Good question, perhaps the left plank?"

Kyokotsu nodded in agreement as his massive arm easily swiped across the filed sending soldiers flying in every direction. "Well done" the smaller man slid down the giant into the open filed, smiling as another wave of soldiers approached. "Now it's my turn…"

A thick grey smoke filled the area. Mukotsu and Kyokotsu laughed as the soldiers cringed on the floor in pain. "It's a good thing I gave you all the immunity to this poison" Mukotsu spoke in a self important way. "This is very powerful. It melts them from the inside out"

"Is that a fact?" Kyokotsu laughed, "Then perhaps it would be kind if I put them out of their misery!"

A thud shook the battlefield as Kyokotsu's massive chained ball crushed the soldiers it fell upon. Mukotsu pointed to a survivor, whose legs alone were pulverized, "Your aim is slack my friend, one seems to have survived"

"How silly of me…but I suppose I shouldn't let such spoils go to waste…"Kyokotsu smiled at the absolute fear that adorned the screaming man's face as his massive hand slowly came his way.

* * *

Ginkotsu shot another cannon to the army, sending another tremor through the battlefield. He readied for his second shot, when rope fell upon him. He looked at the scene confused for a moment. Were the soldiers attempting to tie him down?

He quickly snapped out of his momentary pause, "fools…" he sneered with a devious grin. His unsettling confidence caused fearful regret in the men. Twin round razors shot towards the foolish soldiers before they finished their quick round and returned to their positions. The targets were unrecognizable clumps on the floor below. "Hn" Ginkotsu smirked as the cannons were shot to another group of unsuspecting soldiers.

Renkotsu smiled at his companion. "Nice shot Ginkotsu"

"Gh-yes, thank you brother Renkotsu" he turned to his older brother. His expression widened as he saw a soldier raise his blade to Renkotsu's back. "Behind you!"

Renkotsu quickly ducked the blade that came his way. The soldier smirked at Renkotsu's quick reaction. "Not bad, but I won't miss the second time"

Before Renkotsu could rebuttal the blade came in a quick fashion towards him. He gritted his teeth as he sidestepped the man. One on one, wasn't his specialty, nor was it Ginkotsu's. He knew his mechanic brother wasn't of much help at the moment. Ginkotsu specialized in attacking many men at a time. Any of Ginkotsu's attacks would kill him as well as his attacker.

His opponent appeared too wild to be the general, but the man was clearly one of the top soldiers. He had a fierce look in his eyes, one that was familiar with killing. It didn't bring fear to Renkotsu though. Hell, all his friends had a far too similar gleam in their eyes.

He smiled when Renkotsu found himself pinned to a tree. "Nowhere else to go…what a shame. Prepare to die mercenary swine…" he sneered as he lifted his blade.

Renkotsu gritted his teeth as he watched the blade. "Forgive me if I don't comply…"

Renkotsu's knife struck through the man's palm, causing his blade to drop. The warrior growled in pain as Renkotsu rolled away from the tree, drinking the chemical attached to his wrist. The man's eyes tightened as a wall of flames came his way.

"Gh-yes, well done Brother Renkotsu" Ginkotsu chuckled as he came to his brother's side. Renkotsu nodded, "Well that takes care of him"

"Not quite!"

The two brothers turned to the voice. The unscathed man appeared to their left, having sidestepped the flames. His blade was grasped with both hands as he ran towards them. Renkotsu made for his drink, but his eyes tightened with reality. The man had moved too fast, and his blade was a few inches away.

Renkotsu's eyes widened when he heard the sound of clinking metal. The man had stumbled back, and was clutching his bleeding chest. Renkotsu's eyes looked behind him at the cause. Jakotsu stood with a smile, retracting his bloody blade. "Well, well, well" he smiled at the wounded soldier, "What do we have here?"

Renkotsu smiled with a sigh "Nicely done Jakotsu"

"Gh-yes" Ginkotsu agreed

"Don't mention it" Jakotsu shrugged, "Truth be told, I didn't even see you there"

Renkotsu's eyes widened with the comment. "…then why did you…" he shook his head, "…never mind…I don't think I want to know"

Jakotsu looked to the soldier who tried to rise, but fell back to his knees in vain. Jakotsu licked his lips in a demented fashion. "I think my lucks finally turned around…"

"Poor guy…" Renkotsu gently shook his head to Ginkotsu, "He would have been better off being burnt alive by my flames"

Ginkotsu nodded with a smile, "Gh-yes, I agree"

* * *

"987!" Bankotsu yelled as his Banryu slice the head off of another soldier. He quickly turned the blade to the soldier who tried to attack him from behind. "988!"

Then to a group of three that came from his left side, "991!"

He watched as their blood splattered the floor below. "_Almost" _he smiled as the crimson colors hit the floor, "_I'm almost there…"_

Another tremor broke him out of his thoughts. He recognized it to be caused by Ginkotsu because of the boom that followed. Kyokotsu's tremors didn't carry it. "_He's with Mukotsu today anyway…his tremors follow a nasally giggle"_ he chuckled to himself.

His eyes locked on a few more men that headed his way. They weren't anything special. "_Probably farmers that were drafted for this quick war…they got spirit I'll give them that"_

Without an effort Banryu sliced through the four "995!"

He twisted Banryu over his head in an elegant fashion. Most of the army was gone now. His men didn't waste time in finishing the job. He heard an especially painful yell, that cut through the others. He let Banryu rest on his shoulders. "I guess Jakotsu found himself a new plaything…" he gave an amused snort, "figures"

He watched three soldiers running away from the battle. He rolled his eyes as he easily cut them off. "Don't tell me you're running away. What's wrong? Not having any fun?"

"Go to hell!" one yelled as he ran towards him. Banryu made quick work. He even made the kill quick. "_He at least had the guts to come at me…unlike these cowards…Maybe I should make the kill a bit messier…" _he smirked at his thoughts.

"Why are you doing this?" one yelled

"Why?" he scratched his head with a free hand. He shrugged with a smile, "I guess because I find it enjoyable…"

"To-to kill? How-how can you be so cruel? Don't you see what you have done?"

Bankotsu didn't need to look at the scene to know what the man was referring to. It was a common enough site. "What? Don't tell me you can't stomach the site of blood…" he smirked

"You-you self righteous bastard!" he yelled as he charged Bankotsu in a foolish attempt at retribution. Banryu sliced through his stomach. The man fell to the floor. Bankotsu smiled and walked over to the last cowering man before him. "My, my, looks like your are the only one left"

He froze as the fallen man's hand grasped at his leg. Bankotsu looked down with a hard brow. The man's grip tightened. "You…you are a fool…"

"What's that?" Bankotsu growled, on the verge of annoyance.

The man laughed at him, blood pouring from his lips. A strange all knowing expression on his face. "You look on this field now….and you see nothing of misery…or pain…" he chuckle a few times and the blood continued to cough out of his mouth. "…you will pay soon enough for your crimes…"

Bankotsu gritted his teeth at the man's comment, "Just hurry and die old man…"

He chuckled again, "…As I am dying I see your fate…I see your connection to the butterflies…"

Bankotsu's body stiffened at the man's comment. How the hell did he know about those damn things? Why the hell did it even matter? He lifted Banryu vertically over his head. "Like I said before…Hurry and die old man…"

"Your point of view will change soon…when you look onto the next battlefield…" a hysterical laughter broke out of the man's bleeding lips. "…Then you will feel what the hundreds you have killed have felt….then you will see what they have seen through their eyes! Then you will feel true fear!" His laugh increased, and Bankotsu felt an uneasiness fill him. His heart skipped a small beat at the strange bloody laughter.

"WHEN THE SNOW FALLS!" the man shouted with a loud bellowing laugh. Bankotsu's face tightened at the eerie sound and the crazed expression on the man's face. Banryu fell straight through the man's skull.

Bankotsu watched the blood stain the floor below. He twisted the blade into the skull a few times in frustration. "Fool!" he spat, before letting his heel brake the remaining bone in half. The man's crazed laugh still echoed in his head, as the crazed expression imprinted itself in the back of his mind. He let out a few huffs, before his heart calmed in its pace. He saw the color of blood that covered his foot. A strange chill ran through his body as he saw this. He quickly took a step back. "_What…what was that?"_

The clinking sound of armor called his attention away from his thoughts. He looked up to see the remaining soldier, who in an attempt to flea tripped. "Where do you think you're going?" Bankotsu asked in a deep cold voice.

Before the man could speak, Banryu sliced his victim into several pieces, perhaps to subconsciously make certain of his death. Bankotsu watched the man's spilled blood and an unexplainable sick feeling hit his gut. What was that feeling he had felt when he saw the blood cover his heel? For that second he was…consumed by a thought. His heart had been pounding and he felt unsure. His mind was locked on the thought of his friend's fate…his fate. "_What was that feeling?…Was I?…was I actually…"_

He shook of the thoughts, not wanting to know the answer. He saw his reflection in his halberd. His face falsely appeared bloody as a result of the crimson colored Banryu. He gritted his teeth and with a grunt returned Banryu to his shoulders. For once…for once he felt like he had killed enough that day.

* * *

The elderly man walked back and forth in a worrisome pace. He had just gotten word that the Band of Seven had attacked his most prosperous village of Sai. He prayed to the gods that the rumors about them were exaggerated, but the smoke that filled the air told him otherwise. "No…" he shook his head, "…How can this be?"

"My Lord" a bowed servant entered, breaking the lord's thoughts. The lord nodded, "What is it?"

"A messenger from Kurisaki Castle wishes your council"

He gave a curt nod to the man, and watched with hardened eyes as the messenger approached. "Lord Tsukoudai, I have come with a proposal"

"Proposal?"

"Indeed. It appears that the Band of Seven has entered these lands, and my lord wishes to bring them to an end once and for all. He is disgusted with their untamed violent ways. I am sure you can witness this for yourself…they have annihilated your village of Sai…"

"As I can see…YOUR lord is the one who had sent them on a war path!"

"True, my lord doesn't deny his involvement, but he didn't believe them to be this blood thirsty. They are nothing but a plague, nay a scourge to humanity"

The lord looked to the smoke through the open window. "…He has regrets about unleashing them…." he snorted, "Your lord is a fool, how does he expect to call them off the hunt now? Surely another lord would hire them as soon as he does. The Western as well as the Southern castles in this region are prepped for a war…"

"My lord knows this. As we speak, word is being sent their way of the situation"

Tsukoudai turned to the messenger in a curious fashion. "…What does your lord have planned?"

"As written on this contract" he held out the folded scroll, "My lord wishes for unity between the four castles. You retain rule over your lands, however Kurisaki Castle's rule will be absolute as shogun"

The lord's face tightened with consideration. "…In return?…he will call of the mercenaries?"

"Together, in unison, we will destroy the mercenaries. Separated our power can not defeat them"

Tsukoudai turned to the faint sound of screams and the scene of distant fire. His eyes tightened as he let out a sigh of defeat, "So be it…I will sign the deed…"

* * *

Suikotsu flicked off the remainder of blood from his claws with a satisfied smile on his face. He laughed as he walked towards the lone standing Bankotsu. "So, how many men does that make ya? Cuz I gotta tell you I'm pretty sure I beat you this time"

His smile faded a little as he reached Bankotsu's side. "…Huh…hey ya hear me?"

Bankotsu snapped out of his thoughts as he turned to his brother, "Did you…uh…say something….Suikotsu?"

Suikotsu's brow lifted in an evaluating style, "Ok, so what's wrong with you?"

Bankotsu looked back to the now empty battlefield. "…It's…nothing"

"Bullshit" he snorted, "You're never this quite after a battle. No offense big brother, but I usually can't get you shut up…I don't know whose worse about it, you or Jakotsu"

Bankotsu let a small chuckle escape his lips at the comment, before he turned to Suikotsu. "What? Jealous because I have more to brag about?"

"You wish" he snorted back as he followed after his brother.

The battle was over after a few hours. All went according to plan, the army was dead. Bankotsu's eyes hardened in thought. "_Then why do I have this feeling?…"_

With a sigh he let the thought drip away, as he always did when he couldn't make sense of something. He smiled at his brother. "So, what was your number?"

**

* * *

**

Sorry for the delay. I have two more chaps left. The good news is that the next chapter is finished and just needs to be edited. I'll have it up by next week, hopefully. The sequel is going to be written, but it will by Ban/OC so don't get to upset.

**If you're a B07 fan then you must be feeling apprehensive about the next chapters…it's painful to write, but I promise to try to do my best to make them as realistic as possible. With that said, I love the battle scenes. I wanted to capture each members tribute. Thanks for the reads. I'd appreciate reviews on how it came out, and all. **

**Again, thanks everyone and don't forget to review.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15 **


	28. Bankotsu: The Falling Snow

**Bankotsu: The Falling Snow **

He shrugged off the old man's words as he reunited with his companions. Their joyous expressions brought back his previous feelings at the job his men had successfully carried out. Smoke still filled the sky above, but it was hard to differentiate it from the clouds. The band sat at the outskirts of the field. A large cliff was behind them.

Bankotsu looked at the smiles of the men below him from a large boulder. He mindlessly toyed with a fallen leaf in his hands. Nothing else really mattered at the moment; not his mother, that stupid old man, nothing. He was here and his friends were happy. He smiled largely to himself. After one more human death he would have met his quota for human lives. The excitement filled him.

He let out a deep laugh to his friends, "That was easy!"

"It was over much too quickly" Jakotsu smiled in a day dreaming way. The death of the soldier still fresh in his head. He had died crying in his arms from the pain. A perfect end to a perfect specimen.

"Gh-yes" Ginkotsu agreed, "No kidding"

"These pathetic lords and their warriors are not match for the Band of Seven" Jakotsu smiled at the memories. What else could be better?

"Tell me big brother" Renkotsu began with a hopeful smile, "Don't you think it's about time for us to find a castle of our own to become lords and masters of?"

Bankotsu smiled as he listened to Renkotsu's words. The small leaf eventually findings its way towards his lips.

"Think of it…" Renkotsu continued, "You could even become shogun"

The words quickly came and left Bankotsu's mind. He casually removed his leaf with a smile, "I think it'd be too much trouble"

The group laugh at the relaxed way Bankotsu dismissed the possibility of such a great honor. It was like him. He never cared for such frivolous titles.

"What about you?" Bankotsu asked, "Would you like to become a lord or even shogun?"

Renkotsu shooed the idea away with the palms of his hands. "No big brother you are far better suited than I". No need for Bankotsu to think he had thoughts of outranking him by any means.

"Hey" Bankotsu smiled at his idea. "I'll even help you if you want me too" he closed his eyes to his own thoughts of desires, "My only ambition is to kill as many people as humanly possible" he flicked away the leaf that twiddled between his forefingers, "Now that excites me"

"Yeah…" Jakotsu sighed out in thought, "What a turn on"

"Don't worry" Suikotsu laughed, "There are plenty victims for each of us, and then some"

Again laughter filled the area with the comment. Bankotsu's laughter slowly died as the sound of fast footsteps filled the area. Another wave of soldiers was coming there way. They carried the blue flags of the eastern castle they had attacked. Did they have a second army?

"Heh" Jakotsu began, "Haven't they learned their lesson yet?"

"Gh-yes" Ginkotsu smiled, "Time for more killing"

Bankotsu shrugged at the details. If they sent more soldiers, then he'd just have more to kill. "Okay, let's get to work"

A second stampede of sound caught Bankotsu's ear. He quickly turned around to the above cliff. His face tightened at the scene. Above him was the general from the Northern castle. Behind him was the northern army. The general's face was hard, only his eyes seemed more confident then before. He didn't like it. "Hey" Bankotsu called, "I thought we were gonna be the advanced team!"

The general answered in a calm self assured way, "The Band of Seven has become to notorious" he spoke as if he were addressing his people…or rallying the troops.

"_He's talking like were not even here…what the…"_ Bankotsu tightened his grip on his halberd in an angry way. "So, you changed your mind about paying us?"

"You are too bloodthirsty. Whether you act as friend or foe to them the lords of the region have decided that the Band of Seven have become too strong"

"Oh no!…" Jakotsu quickly turned to face the leader.

"Brother Bankotsu?" Suikotsu called pleadingly.

Bankotsu stared un-phased at the general above. This was new. They had never been full on betrayed like this…not that he would ever put it past anyone. "If that is so, do you really think you can defeat us now?"

"There is no where you can run…"

The general's words faded away as Bankotsu stared at the sky above. "_…no…"_

He watched with wide eyes as the cold air whipped his face. Winter's cold flakes slowly danced in the sky, falling down. "_…no…"_

Again, that strange feeling that consumed him when he faced the old man on the battlefield came into play. He felt his hands shake…never had they done that before. He felt the pounding in his chest. "_…no…"_

In unison he recalled his mother's voice with the voice of the man on the field. "_When the snow falls…"_

He quickly turned around as he saw wave after wave of soldiers begin to surround him. Each were carrying the flag of the four surrounding castles. He felt the cold touch of winters first mark fall against him as he frantically watched. He recalled the panic and pleading in Jakotsu's and Suikotsu's earlier voices. Why? Why did they have to be there when it happened?

"What now?" Renkotsu's voice called Bankotsu back to the situation.

He turned to his second in command, briefly remembering Renkotsu's warnings about staying in the area. "RUN!"

Without another word they ran. Bankotsu heard the sound of arrows falling towards them. They shadowed the sky when they fell. "KEEP IT UP MEN, DON'T FALL BEHIND!"

"Brother Bankotsu?" Renkotsu called as he ran to his side. "Where do we run to?"

Bankotsu's face tightened in thought. He wasn't familiar with the area, and unfortunately the army was. "We'll lose them in the mountain. Mukotsu!" he yelled.

He nodded in understanding from Kyokotsu's shoulders. "On it Captain!" in a second the path behind them was covered in a thick grey smog.

The masked general stood with a fierce face as the path before them was blocked with Mukotsu's poison

"What now?" another general from a different castle asked.

"They will not get far…" he motioned to the blood on the ground, "They will try to hide in the terrain….will head them off on the eastern and southern path…"

* * *

The Band trailed through the mountainous path. Bankotsu gritted his teeth in silent anger as they trudged on. His men were nervous…he knew it. His mind raced at the situation at hand. He had told Mitaru that he did not fear death. That was true…but the lives of his brothers were something else. They trusted him, they followed him.

"Brother Bankotsu?…"

Bankotsu quickly turned around, "WHAT?"

Jakotsu took a small step back in fear at Bankotsu's sudden outburst. "I-I was asking if you were okay?…you're….bleeding…"

He looked down to see the arrow planted deep within his thigh. He shook his head with disgust at the expression he caused Jakotsu. "No…I'm….fine…"

"Well what do we do now?" Suikotsu yelled to the group. "We can't hide up here!"

"Indeed…" Renkotsu began, "…But we need to face reality. We can take on a whole army, perhaps two if we tried….there's four of them out there"

"And they all seem to want us dead…" Mukotsu shivered at the thought.

Bankotsu noticed that his men fell silent…he knew they were looking at him…waiting for leadership. His mother's words replayed themselves in his head. _"…if you value only the lives of the few, what will happen when you fail them?"_

His eyes tightened, "_No…this is my fate alone…I will not let them have a part of it"_

He turned to the yearning expression his men wore. Each were more then ready to do what was asked of them. "…You need to get out of here…the poison won't stall them forever. I'll hold them off. Follow Renkotsu and get out of here…"

"NO!" Jakotsu was the first to voice his opinion. "We aren't going to leave you here Bankotsu!"

Suikotsu nodded in agreement, "Do you think we are cowards big brother?"

"You don't understand!" Bankotsu yelled back in pointless furry. "This isn't about you! You aren't supposed to…"

He fell silent when Jakotsu's hand fell onto his shoulder. "We are a team…we do everything together…"

"Jakotsu…"

"I agree…" Renkotsu chimed in, "When I received my mark as a member of the Band of Seven, I was told that it stood for a unity…you created that…"

"GH-yes" Ginkotsu smiled.

"You granted me my freedom" Kyokotsu boomed, "I owe my life to you brother Bankotsu"

"Without you I'd be stuck alone in my cave concocting the same poison after poison" Mukotsu smiled, "I had the adventure of a lifetime, and have had more pleasure then I would have ever had before…"

"You gave me acceptance" Suikotsu looked away, uncomfortable with the warmth of the conversation, "A safe place to be myself…despite what or who I am…"

Jakotsu smiled warmly at the shocked expression Bankotsu wore. "…You saved me…"

Bankotsu looked into Jakotsu's eyes and forced a smile, "…What are you talking about?…You didn't need me that day to kill off the samurai…"

"No…I mean…I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for you. You gave me…all of us a friend, a brother…a family"

He lifted his head with a strange smile. "You are all my brothers…and I am honored to have been called your leader" his face grew firm as he reached his decision. "…With that said, I need you to trust me"

He recalled the other words Mitaru had spoken to him. _"…you will die…but it won't be over…"_

He turned to the path he was going to defend. "I am Bankotsu, leader of the Band of Seven…I haven't lost a battle to anyone, and today will be no exception" he gave them a reassuring smile.

"I can't leave you!" Jakotsu shook his head fiercely as tears streamed down his face.

Bankotsu's hands fell to his taller friends shoulders this time. "Jakotsu…I promise I will see you again"

"Big brother…"

"Have I lied to you before?" he continued knowing Jakotsu's answer, "Trust me…"

Jakotsu forced a reluctant nod to his brother's words. "I…trust you" his arms fell around the shorter mercenary. Bankotsu smiled and with his free hand embraced his close friend back. He returned to his brothers a second after. "I have given you my orders men…I'll meet up with you after I finish these men off. Move out!"

Reluctant nods were sent Bankotsu's way. He watched as they quickly disappeared through the trees. "Damn…" he lowly growled to himself, "I fucking hate winter"

* * *

**One more chapter left…it's gonna kill me to write it. Anyway, thanks for the reading and reviewing. I'll put the final chapter up soon, and then the sequel. **

**Please Review**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	29. Bankotsu: The Final Battle

**Bankotsu: The Final Battle **

He never was one to believe in fate.. Still, in the pit of his being he knew that fate was against him. On the other hand maybe he was the one who fought against fate. His very existence challenged all odds. He was not supposed to have survived birth. He was not supposed to have acclaimed strength that challenged that of the immortals. He was not supposed to have survived the numerous battles he waged, not with the odds so against him. Despite this, he continued on in challenging the logical approach. He was born into struggle...he thrived on it. No wonder fate hated him, no wonder it tried again and again to break him. Yet, no matter what came his way he overcame it. He survived. He had no weaknesses. Even now...he faced death, but he was promised revival.

He took a deep breath. "...they'll live... that's all that matters..." he whispered to himself. His body shook gently against the cold. His blood staining the white below. The physical pain was nothing, it never was.

He leaned his back against the trunk of a large withering tree. His cold crackled hands tightened on Banryu's hilt, stinging as he did so. He let his lids fall shut with a smirk. "They say we're gonna die here Banryu..."

The words played in his head as the wind blew. He looked up at the grey sky, "But who gives a fuck what they say"

Banryu clinked against his armored shoulder. "Either way..." he shrugged, "I'll make sure they'll pay..."

He thought of his vow. _"...even if that means rising from my own grave to do it..."__

* * *

A soldier knelt below to examine the pink colored snow. He looked back at the army behind him. "General! I found something!"

The masked general walked towards the scouter, nodding for him to speak.

"Its blood, it leads off the path and into the forest...I believe it to come from the mercenaries"

"Well done...we'll continue down it's trail..."

The general from the eastern army approached the masked general who was leading their hunt "Exactly what is our approach?"

"Approach?"

"We outnumber them, but I fear it is not enough..."

He snorted at the words, "Your cowardice disgusts me. These are not demons, they are mere humans!"

"I speak logic! A band of seven men were able to slaughter off half of our army as if they were crushing insects. Tactic is needed..."

He reconsidered the generals words and nodded. "Without their weapons, they are nothing…" he looked to the worried faces of his army. "Do not forget that these are mere men..." he kicked at the pink snow, "They too bleed"

* * *

Renkotsu tried his best to remain calm and lead his brothers as well as Bankotsu had, but the twisting in his stomach hadn't died down. They deserted the mountain path long ago, crossing through the forest terrain in the hopes of losing their pursuers.

"Their close..." Mukotsu stuttered to himself, "I know it..."

"Just shut the hell up Mukotsu!" Suikotsu barked at the small shivering man at his side.

"Both of you shut up" Renkotsu harshly ordered over his shoulder, "We don't need the excess noise..."

"Yeah" Suikotsu growled, "Because I'm sure they won't hear the sound of clanking metal!"

Ginkotsu turned towards the clawed warrior. "Gh-and what's that supposed to mean?..." he growled.

"Your fucking footsteps..." he growled back, "are going to get us caught..."

"Gh-are you blaming me for this?"

"Why else would they find us?"

Jakotsu jumped between the two, "That's enough. We're not going to get anywhere fighting like this..."

Kyokotsu nodded, "I agree with brother Jakotsu"

"Of course you would" Mukotsu snorted, "You're just as loud as Ginkotsu"

"Why you little worm..."

"ENOUGH!" Renkotsu yelled. All eyes slowly turned his way. He placed his hand to the bridge of his nose in thought. The tension was their, and everyone was thinking the same thing. Death was in the air...theirs.

"We can't do this..." Jakotsu whispered

"Do what?" Suikotsu asked, lowering his claws.

"We can't continue like this..." he shook his head, "We're supposed to be brothers...don't you get it? Alone...alone we were nothing...but when we were together..."

Suikotsu shifted uneasily when he noticed tears start to form in Jakotsu's eyes. "You're right..." he whispered to himself. He looked back up with more confidence, "Whatever happens...we need to be together..."

He gave a final nod of certainty before turning his back to them. "Whether we live or die!" he sprinted back towards the way he came remembering his old feelings. He feared nothing, not even death. He smiled as the wind hit his face. Whether he lived or died, it didn't matter. He yelled to his brothers behind him, "There's no way in he'll I'm going down without a fight!"

Jakotsu nodded to himself. Bankotsu was still back their, and despite whatever promise he made...they all needed to be together. "Hold up!" he called before running after Suikotsu.

"I've never been one to enjoy the tranquil joys of life anyway" Kyokotsu laughed at Mukotsu.

Mukotsu gave a defeated shrug, "What the hell" he snorted out a laugh, "Can't say it hasn't been fun"

Kyokotsu lifted the small man on his shoulders as they headed off. Ginkotsu looked to Renkotsu to see his next move. "We can't fight alone..." he smiled.

Renkotsu shook his head, "It's damn suicidal..." he sighed. "But we're out of options..." he forced a smile, "The army is more than likely following us, with an army to meet us at the base... it seems fighting as one _**is**_ our only option"

"Gh-yes" Ginkotsu nodded. Renkotsu swallowed the feeling in his gut and sprinted towards the others. "Lets get going Ginkotsu!"

* * *

He knew that it was only a matter of time before they would find him. He gritted his teeth at the cold he felt, it made him feel weak to be at the mercy of something so trivial as the elements. He heard the army in the distance. He felt disgusted at the unworthy opponents that were about to face him. They were poorly trained and deserved to die. They all lacked stealth and skill. "_Dying in battle is one thing, but not when these fools are the executioners…" _

He leaned up from the tree ready to face whatever would come his way. "Lets get this over with…"

He readied his stance with Banryu facing the forest ahead of him. His brow furrowed when the footsteps ceased. What were they planning? A distinctive sound caused him to look up, another sea of arrows came his way. He placed Banryu over his head in a protective stance.

A soft grunt escaped his lips when a sharp pain hit his arm. He was pierced through his hand. He roughly tore out the arrow, dropping Banryu as he did so. He didn't have time to react when thick chains flew his way from somewhere in the forest. They tightened around him. "_Dammit, they're hiding in the damn forest…cowards…"_

"Pull the chains tight!" the familiar voice of the leader of the samurai called as the soldiers made their appearance. He towered over the kneeling mercenary who was tightly held by his bindings. "It is over for you know mercenary…" he spat. "With your halberd gone, you are weak"

"You sound sure of yourself" he cockily replied. "I might not have Banryu, but unlike you I don't need to hide behind a weapon…or an entire army for that matter" He moved his body in the hopes of loosening the chains grip, and found his arm was still somewhat mobile.

"Silence your insolent mouth whelp!" he let his fist land across the young boy's face. Bankotsu's head fell back, but his smirk hadn't faded. He tasted the metallic flavor of his own blood and let his smile increase.

"Where are the others?" the samurai growled.

"Others?" he mocked innocence

"Don't play fool with me boy. Where are the other mercenary swine?"

"Why ask me? You're a rather pathetic excuse for a general if you can't locate a few men in _your _own territory"

The general's fist pulled back, and Bankotsu waited for a contact that didn't come. "Hn, it matters not." was the general's response. "We'll find your friends…soon enough"

He didn't like how the general had spoken the last phrase. The general looked directly below at the boy in what he hoped was an intimidating display. "Surely you don't believe this to be all the men I have scouting the lands for your companions?"

The old man's words from the battlefield echoed in Bankotsu's mind. His cocky expression faded into one of ferocity as he freed his arm from the chains that bounded him. In a swift motion he took hold of the general's sheathed sword and swung it across the general's face. The mask he wore broke vertically to the floor as he stumbled back, yelling for retribution. The army surrounded Bankotsu. He let his small blade slice through the men that surrounded him.

He wished that he had Banryu. The halberd could deliver more kills, but with an injured hand he was at a disadvantage when swinging such a large blade. He fought through the crowd taking a few kills. He eventually broke free from the army, giving his metal companion a final look. "_I promise I'll come back for you…in the next life"_

He quickly flew into the forest. He needed to find his brothers before the other army found them. He was stupid for leaving them alone in the first place. They needed to be together, they always had.

A soldier ran to the wounded general in desperation. The general's mouth was slashed open on both sides. He held his mouth to stop the bleeding, and looked at his broken face mask. A thick growl escaped his throat. "Secure that damnable Halberd that he calls Banryu, and take it back to the castle…"

"But General…may I ask why?"

"It will serve as proof, that he was destroyed at my hands…"

"I understand…but he…he has escaped…"

The general ignored the confused soldier as he seethed with anger at the brat's escape. "That fool WILL perish by my hands, this night!" he looked to the frightened soldier, "Make no mistake…he will suffer"

* * *

Suikotsu panted as another wave of soldiers came his way. They were never ending, and his stamina was wearing off. He looked around the battlefield. His friends wore similar expressions. Their battle was in vain he decided, but he knew that deep down they all had known that. They must have realized it when they first met Bankotsu…it couldn't last forever. Only… they weren't together this time.

Jakotsu pulled back his bloody sword. His eyes met Renkotsu's. Their second in command was so unsure of himself. He fought frantically trying to stay alive. Ginkotsu's cannons continued to shoot down soldier after soldier, but his ammo was low. Mukotsu was also running low on poison, and Jakotsu knew this because he was now left to use his weaker concoctions. Then there was Kyokotsu who, having a fear of being tied down from his past life of captivity, was desperately fighting the wave of chains that fell over him. Suikotsu was injured, but Jakotsu knew he hadn't noticed the bleeding across his chest. They all fought together, but their leader wasn't there.

A soldier charged towards Jakotsu with a drawn blade. Jakotsu just watched with a calm expression. It was only a matter of time before this would happen…and being alone was far worse than death… he gave a weak smile to himself.

"JAKOTSU!"

Jakotsu turned as a familiar figure shot through the trees, slicing down the charging soldier. "Ban…kotsu" Jakotsu worded out slowly.

He nodded examining the field. It was clear…they were losing. "Are you okay?…"

"I…I came looking for you…we came looking for you…" he spoke in a frantic. Tears lined his face. "Because it doesn't matter how bad it gets….we…we need to…"

"We need to stay together…" Bankotsu softly finished with a smile, fighting back his own tears. "I know that now…but you…you should have stayed away…"

He turned to examine the battlefield. He watched the fierce expressions that lined his falling brothers' faces, and he knew that it was all his fault. He was lost in his own search for power so much so that…he didn't realize the danger his brothers were in. He didn't realize that his pain was there pain, just as their pain was his. "I failed you all…it's…my…fault this happened…"

Jakotsu's mouth slightly widened as small tears welled up in Bankotsu's eyes. Bankotsu fiercely lifted his head to the scene. His teeth gritted together in a rage as he watched the battle. It was over for them now. There wasn't any doubt within him, but he knew what his return would mean. He knew that each one of the fools responsible for the death of his brothers would pay. He would make certain of it.

Bankotsu charged the army with the katana blade he now held, and tore each unfortunate opponent apart. His other brother's caught sight of their leader, and a sense of unity filled them. They were together now.

The battle dragged on, the Band of Seven put up a hard fight, but it was all in vain. The second half of the army that followed after Bankotsu arrived bringing more men and more weapons. The injured head general watched from the sidelines, on horseback. The eastern general eyed him questioningly. "It appears that our mercenaries are weakening…"

"Hn" he snorted, "My orders were clear" he spat, knowing that the eastern general did not approve of the orders. "They are not to be killed until I give the order"

"I understand your need for retribution after…" he carefully thought on his words, "…after your encounter with the boy. However, the longer this war drags on the more lives are lost"

"MY ORDERS WERE CLEAR!" he barked before looking back to the battlefield, "_The fool will learn his place before he makes his final departure"_

_

* * *

_

**Ok, so I know I said this was going to be the last chapter, but its getting too long and I feel bad about keeping you all in suspense. With that said, there will be one more chapter to go, and then I will have the first chapter of the sequel up, which is already written. So by the beginning of winter break I will have the end finished and posted. Sound good?**

**Ok, so please send me some reviews, and I'm also planning on reviewing my old chapters, which I've noticed need a lot of work. **

**Anyway, sorry about the long wait, and thanks for all the reviews,**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	30. Bankotsu: The Band of Brothers

**Bankotsu: The Band of Brothers**

Bankotsu watched the scene around him as he fought on, ignoring his obvious loss of stamina. Something wasn't right. Why hadn't the soldiers dealt a final blow? What did they have planned? He sliced through another faceless soldier. He couldn't help but think that if Banryu was with him now, he would have been so close to meeting his quota. Maybe then…it wouldn't have come to this. He gritted his teeth as another wave of soldiers came. They were never ending… Why didn't he listen?

"BROTHER BANKOTSU!"

Bankotsu quickly turned to the familiar scream. "JAKOTSU!"

He ran to his brother who was being brought down with the familiar chains that had bound him a few moments ago. Were they planning to take them prisoner? For what purpose?

He ran to his brother, killing the soldiers who attempted to tie him down. He lifted Jakotsu from the ground, only to have him fall back down into him. "You need to get up Jakotsu!" Bankotsu pleaded desperately.

"I…I can't" Jakotsu forced a smile, "I'm…not as strong as you…I never was"

"Don't say that!" he pleaded in desperation, "It's my own stupid weakness that brought us here in the first place…"

"No big brother…you saved us" he smiled, "…made us…"

He looked around the field as he held his panting brother in his hands. All his brother were in a similar state now. Tired, injured, fighting off the on slot of chains that now befell them. How weak and pathetic he felt now…how utterly powerless. It disgusted him. "How can you say that…" he spoke through shadowed eyes. "…Jakotsu… I'm sorry…for everything"

"Don't apologize… I was dead…until you found me…" he gave a soft moan as he spoke.

Bankotsu noticed the blood that leaked from his brother's side. "_He's been cut…"_

"You were always my brother" Bankotsu softly spoke as he slowly leaned his friend against his lap, "…I promise to always avenge you… no matter what the stakes"

Jakotsu gave a soft chuckle to the promise his brother made. He sounded so confident in himself. Perhaps that is why he never doubted Bankotsu, or perhaps it was because he knew how amazing he really was…even if Bankotsu sometimes deep down denied it. Either way, he didn't want to deny his brother's final promise. If Bankotsu believed he would be able to avenge them somehow…then he knew he would die insuring that promise. "…I know you will…"

Bankotsu smirked at Jakotsu's smile. Jakotsu didn't know of his promise of a second life, and yet he believed him anyway. "_You're the only one to ever have any real faith in me…any trust. I won't ever forget that…my bro-"_

Before he could finish his thought he felt a chocking sensation. A chain fell to his neck, pulling him away from his brother. He heard Jakotsu's frantic cries of his name, and he fought to save Jakotsu a final time… but the chains paralyzed him. He fought to breathe…. Was this how it was to end?

"Loosen your grip on the fool's neck…" the familiar voice of the general spoke. At his command, Bankotsu found that he was free to breathe. He quickly gasped for air as the chains loosened on his neck. "There is no escape for you this time" the general snarled.

"That's what you said last time…before I left you that little scar on your face" he smirked. A fist landed against his face, and he tasted the metallic flavor of his own blood.

"You're arrogant now boy" the general scowled, the red blood from his injury now a black stain across his face, "but that wont last for long…"

Bankotsu watched as the general signaled to the soldiers that held him. Roughly they followed orders, pulling him to his feet. He looked around as the same order was given to the soldiers that held his friends. "What? Aren't you gonna kill me?"

Bankotsu felt his heart skip a beat and a lump rise in his throat as the general slowly turned to meet his eyes. A cold vengeful stare locked eyes with him, as a soft but deranged smile fell to his lips. Not a sound was made as the general turned to leave. Feeling a sharp shove from the soldiers behind him he was forced to walk. Looking around the others followed suit. All of his brothers were tied up, injured, some barely able to walk. Where was this bastard taking them? It was bad enough he had to deal with the guilt of his friends deaths, but he hadn't considered the possibility of torture. Were they to be denied a warriors death?

"Get up you miserable dog!"

Bankotsu quickly turned his head to see who the far off soldier was addressing. His eyes hardened as he saw a fierce kick land into the fallen Renkotsu's stomach. The fallen mercenary curled up as blood now dripped from his mouth. Bankotsu made a move to leap to his brother, only to be cut off by another voice.

"Get away from him you bastard!" Suikotsu momentarily broke free by punching away a soldier at his left. Making his way to Renkotsu's attacker, he lifted up a vengeful fist, his claws no longer available.

Bankotsu watched the whole scene in silent disbelief. In slow motion he saw a far off soldier lift up his bow. In slow motion he heard his voice scream out in warning the name of his dear brother, Suikotsu. In slow motion he saw the warrior punch away soldier after soldier. In slow motion he saw Renkotsu lift his hand in protest to Suikotsu's rescue. But the flying of the arrow, passed by in less than a moment. In less than a second he saw his brother freeze and fall slowly to his knees. He saw the arrow pierce through his brother's chest. His ears began to burn at a horrible sound from far away. It wasn't until he broke free from his own captors did he realize the sound came from him.

Another set of chains brought Bankotsu to his knees as he pushed towards his shot friend. Suikotsu's blanking eyes slowly turned towards his leader. "B-brother…" he worded out.

"KEEP THEM ALIVE!" The general boomed. He watched the scene of Bankotsu in furry and slight awe. Ten of his men fought to keep the mercenary leader at bay, and still he managed to slowly pull ahead. The once clawed warrior's heart was barely missed, due to his orders and highly trained archers. However the loss of blood made him weak.

The mercenary leader it would seem, grew stronger when his friends were in danger. He looked to the soldier by his side. "Give me that!" he snarled as he withdrew the staff the foot soldier carried. Walking towards Bankotsu he let the dull edge of the spear meet with the back of his head. In self satisfaction he watched as he fell limp on the floor. He couldn't deal with anymore distractions. The trek ahead would be long, and his friends would be in anguish. Should this Bankotsu see it, he might find some hidden resolve and be hard to handle. No, better for him to wake at the opportune moment of complete helplessness. For then he would realize true defeat and true misery.

"The next fool who allows them to escape will join their fate!" He coldly spat. He walked towards the fallen Suikotsu and Renkotsu. "Worry not mercenary scum" he spat, "You will live a few hours longer. I will grant you that mercy" he smirked yet again as he spit roughly onto Suikotsu's face. In an attempt to rise at the insult, Suikotsu fell down again into the snow.

"Get these fools up!" the general yelled. He stopped his stride when an idea struck. He turned to Renkotsu "For the next time he falls, chop off a finger from his brother here" he smiled at Suikotsu. "And a finger off the other should this brother fall…then another finger…and another, until we reach the arms…"

"Why not just kill us now!" Renkotsu yelled in furry, "What good is there in prolonging it?"

"I need not explain myself to you" he growled, "But I will abide it. You will all die tonight, but not on the damnation of this battle ground. No, such hate will feed your souls…"

"Feed our souls?…You mean our retribution? To think…" Renkotsu smirked, "Our name is so great that you should fear us even after death…"

"I fear nothing!" he boomed. The soldiers around them whispered in disbelief, he felt his blood rush at this.

"Don't lie…" Jakotsu laughed, "It's written all over your face. You're scared that we can't really die…you're scared that the rumors are true, that we are demons. But most of all you fear our big brother. You fear him because he is a far greater warrior than you could ever hope to-"

"ENOUGH!" he stormed as he sent a fist across Jakotsu's face. Silenced filled the snow covered plain as Jakotsu's eyes remained shadowed. "You won't win you know…" he slowly whispered out to the general.

"What was that?" he growled out in response

Slowly Jakotsu's head rose, carrying a dark bloody smirk, "Do what you will with our bodies it doesn't matter anyway. He'll come back for your head…he told me so"

"Did he now?" he began to soldiers around took his lead and began to laugh as well. "And am I to fear this foolish boy? I control his life now…your life as well"

"Fool, you already do fear him. I can sense it on you. That is why you are waiting till you find holy land" Jakotsu smirked in a self satisfied tone.

The general's eyes widened. How could this fool have known this? Renkotsu's eyes hardened in realization and curiosity. Jakotsu seemed to know more than he was letting on. He himself was not sure of the generals intentions, nor this promise Bankotsu had made…what did it mean?

"It won't do you any good…" Jakotsu began to laugh. The voice of Bankotsu running through his mind. _I promise to always avenge you… no matter what the stakes. "_In the end…" Jakotsu smiled, "you'll all be dead"

"Well" the Head General growled in contempt at the shivers now across his neck, "we will just see about that…"

* * *

The cold wind whipping his face is what woke him up. His skin was near freezing now, opening his eyes sent a fierce cracking pain across his face. That however wasn't the worst pain he felt. No, from the pit of his stomach he felt as if he was about to faint. Yet it was not like any sickness he had known before. His head began to spin, he moved to steady his perception, only his hands would not move. "_So they tied me up did they?"_

He looked up to the defeated faces of his friends. All wearing the same sickened expression…bloody…defeated. "Where the hell are we?" he whispered to no one.

"You are at Mt. Hakurai…"

Bankotsu turned to the man behind him. He carried a more solemn, yet stern expression. He had no seconds thoughts about what he was doing, but he received no joy from his actions. "_He must be another of these generals…" _

"Do not humor this fool. Your words fall on deaf ears. His fates already been sealed" The masked general spoke.

"If I may General" the Eastern General began, "A true warriors strength is marked not by the number of those he kills, but by the manner in which it is done…I see no honor in this"

"You dare defend such impudent filth? Have you not heard the stories of their destruction? You stand on the edge of treason…"

"Never! I fight to defend my lands, my home, my family" he stood proudly. "Your elaborate schemes have force me to fight on your side and to defeat these warriors here" he motioned to the Band of Seven, all tied down before him. "These men…" he began "Yes, I have heard and have seen the death they carry out. I have known the atrocities they have committed, but I hold no contempt for them. Love, loyalty, and blind bravery they have shown in battle. They hold no falsities within themselves, no deception in their words. They know what they fight for…

You my general, you fight out of hatred, out of blind revenge. You fight, manipulate out of fear. You kill and torture these youths for self satisfaction. You carry no honor, but send lies of such decrees onto your men and worse of all to yourself. So, while I will carry out my duties under command of my flag, forgive me for carrying a sympathetic soul for the atrocities you will have me commit" With a mocked bow, the Eastern General awaited the blow of the head general, which never came.

"You have always been a fool Soujukai" the Head General calmly shook his head, walking towards a group of soldiers. Bankotsu followed his footsteps to the group of working men. They were digging a hole…a grave. _"I get it now…this is holy ground. He's scared of us…even after death. Superstitious fools…" _his eyes hardened, "_He'll suffer for this…"_

"I fight for superiority, under my lord's name. These men…" the head general turned to the condemned mercenaries, "carry no allegiance. Like a rabid dog who knows know rationality. Hold no sympathy for these beasts! Soujukai is a fool, in his sympathy. In blood they have lived, so in blood they will die. Why should they depart in this world in glorious arms? They have killed women and children, and are no better than rouge bandits. They have sold their souls to demons, no human could commit such damnable acts!

It seems only fitting that they should be condemned to purification under the holy realm of Mt. Hakurai, lest their vengeful souls return. It is not out of fear, but obligation that we do this…the fact that I will enjoy this" he smiled at the growling Bankotsu, "Only serves to fuel my resolve on the matter…but I due confess men…there is great satisfaction within me to watch fear line this fool's eyes. What say you men? Let us condemn their leader to suffer as he had made many others suffer?"

Loud cheers of approval fell from the mound of soldiers around them. Suffer? What did they intend to do? Torture? He didn't care, but not to his brothers…please not his brothers. He fought back the urge to scream this, lest the general know his true fears.

The Eastern General, Soujukai, spoke no more, but a demeanor of disapproval fell over him. "The snow falls" The Head General boomed to the crowd. Let us commence, bring forth the beast!"

"_Kyokotsu!" _Bankotsu watched as the proud giant he once knew, was reduced to a weak mound on the floor, being dragged by the very chains he had always feared. Bankotsu felt his heart beat, he had failed him. He had promised his brother freedom, freedom from the chains that had been his life. The chains that had been his tortured existence. Now he laid bloody on the white snow, fifty men pulling him towards the grave. He watched his chest heave slowly up and down. There was no more fight in him.

"He seems to large my lord" one soldier mused

"Perhaps we should chop him into smaller pieces to make room" another laughed

"Bastards!" Bankotsu roared, uselessly trying to break free. Again the general noticed this. Should he get too worked up, perhaps he would find the strength to fight again…but killing the leader must be last. He had already resolved this. He must make him suffer. "That won't be necessary…lean him over the grave"

In compliance they heaved the giant's head over the large tomb. "Watch mercenary" the general began as he lifted his hand into the air. Bankotsu's eyes danced in terror between the raised hand and the expression his brother wore…was this truly happening? Kyokotsu didn't speak. Rather his large eyes remained closed, but he was awake…he was awake for all of it. A strange grin appeared on his face, perhaps at a final thought.

"_forgive me…"_ Bankotsu whispered to himself a single tear falling down his cheek. In an instant the general's arm fell, along with the soldier's sword. Kyokotsu's head swiftly fell into the grave making an unnatural thump. Ungracefully the giant's body was thrown inside along with it.

In absolute terror Bankotsu understood…he understood why the Eastern General was so solemn. He was being made to suffer by vengeful hands, and in superstition the head general was using Mt. Hakurai to hinder repentance for his actions. He wished to forever quiet their souls…he wished to make them all suffer.

They pulled Mukotsu next. He wasn't as brave as the others, and fear was etched all over the little man's face. "Pl-please have sympathy…I have treasures, enough to make your lord very rich, please! If you would only let my brothers go free!"

The last sentenced burned through Bankotsu. He was not begging for his life, but of his brother's as well. Much had changed it seemed since the first time he had met Mukotsu. How he wished he could hear his snorting giggles one final time…to hear all his brothers' laugh. That image locked into his mind, perhaps that is what Kyokotsu was thinking about. A scream of terror fell to quick silence as Mukotsu's headless corps was thrown into the pit, thudding alongside his brother. "ENOUGH!" Bankotsu yelled. "I'm the one you wanted!"

"_No brother…don't let them see your fear!"_ Renkotsu gritted his teeth. They would only prolong their sentence if they saw his suffering. But he knew none of them could really help it. Bankotsu wasn't the only one screaming, even if that was all he heard. Each one of his brothers heard nothing but their own futile screams. Each felt nothing but the breaking of their very hearts…their life was over, but they all knew it. They didn't fear death, but the torture of their kinsman screams…they were no ready for that. Hell…he wasn't even ready for his own death, a secret Renkotsu would never share.

"Do not waste your time begging us to stop your execution. It would do you better to pray for forgiveness for your sins…though I doubt they will be answered" the Head General chuckled with a few of his men.

A quick shot of spit in his face silenced the laughter, "Damn your religious crap and damn whatever Gods you pray to. I fear none of them…I will return" Bankotsu growled darkly, "And then I suggest that you prepare to die…"

Bankotsu winced as his head was quickly yanked back by his bangs. The Head General's sword held directly to his neck. "You…will…not…return" he growled, "You will watch the rest of your friends slowly slip into silence, and then you too will join them…in hell" he watched as a faint drip of blood fell from the mercenary's neck, "Bring the machine next!"

"No!" Renkotsu let out, resulting in him being roughly thrown back, his cold wounds bleeding once more. Ginkotsu pulled back but again the squad of men proved to outmatch him. His ammo was long gone. "On your knees" a soldier yelled, while sending a fist into GInkotsu. He quickly realized the futility as his arm broke against the armored man. Satisfaction filled Ginkotsu as the soldier screamed in pain. It didn't last long as a chain wrapped around his neck, forcing him down. "Gh-soon my brother" his eyes smiled at Renkotsu.

"Soon…my brother" Renkotsu repeated. Unable to watch he turned his head at the raised sword. "Make him witness!" the general ordered. With snickers soldiers forced Renkotsu's eyes open and on the falling sword that took his brother's life. Something within him suddenly broke… slowly his eyes turned from the scene of his brother falling into the voidless black in which he disappeared. With that his eyes fell to his leader. The one who had promised them splendor and ultimate power. He spoke not a word, but Bankotsu knew. In silence he spoke, _"This is your fault"_

"_I didn't mean for this to happen…"_

"_We trusted you!"_

"_I thought I could protect you…"_

"_You only cared about yourself! You only cared about your own power! We never meant anything to you, but here we died for you! For what? For what?"_

"_No, I would have died for you…"_

"_Oh, but you aren't…you aren't the glorious warrior you pretended to be! You stand hopelessly by and we die. We all died for you! Kyokotsu, Mukotsu, Ginkotsu…we are all to follow. We followed you…and you lead us to our nameless grave"_

"Bring forth the next one!"

Bankotsu watched helplessly as to which of his brothers would be next. The limp body of Suikotsu was roughly thrown towards their grave. His teeth gritted together in aggravation at his own weakness. He would bleed to death sooner or later anyway…but he wished for his death to be in battle, not like this, caged and decapitated like a treacherous coward. He remembered Jakotsu's smile of Bankotsu's promise of vengeance and he smiled. How glorious an idea, to be raised from the dead and brutally slaughter each of these fools.

He turned his smile towards his leader. The first face he ever remembered, the face that brought him out of the darkness, the family he gave him, the friendship he didn't deserve. All of it was worth it in the end. "Even if I don't return to kill you cretins" he closed his eyes with a smile, "I have no regrets…I am honored to die beside my brothers." with a fierce roar his let his eyes remain open, "SO LETS GET THIS OVER WITH COWARDS!"

"SUIKOTSU!" Bankotsu screamed. The devilish eyes of his brother stayed open as he to fell inside the mound of bodies. His claws thrown in beside him…the claws he told Renkotsu make him. He fought the tears from falling. The words of all those in his past echoed through his head. They had all been trying to tell him something. They had all warned him hadn't they? But he hadn't listened…

_You have become so tainted…if you value only the lives of the few, what will happen when you fail them?_ But he hadn't cared for Mitaru's warning. He thought himself all powerful, undefeatable…why should he care? But that was just it…he didn't care, and that's what it all meant…the look in Renkotsu's eyes. He knew what would happen and he didn't care.

You_ underestimate the strength of the heart…that is your weakness. _But what did that mean? what did the heart have to do with it? But perhaps that was what she had meant, he couldn't understand. Maybe that was his weakness, he could not understand the answer that would have spared him this fate. He had lived a cursed life. His greatest weakness was that he thought he had none. He was not born with the power of the divine, nor was he left with spiritual powers. He had to earn his strength, his power, and so he had, but maybe that wasn't all that was important in life…no his friends were of course more important than any of that, but then why did he fail them?

"BROTHER BANKOTSU!" a desperate voice cried out for attention.

"_No…no….no…not Jakotsu!"_

"BIG BROTHER!"

"Get this strange fool over to the grave!" the general boomed, but the sound never hit Bankotsu's ears. All he could see was his best friend's futile screams for help, and his powerlessness to help him. Jakotsu's faith hadn't faltered and that hurt him most of all. What did he see in him? What did he see? Here he had led him to his death, and still he called him in blind faith, but it had always been that way with him. Ever since he met him, he had trusted him. He remembered the smile Jakotsu had worn, the title of brother he had given him…the friendship he had never know existed. "no…no….NO!"

He couldn't fight the tears as he struggled for freedom, "JAKOTSU! JAKOTSU! JAKOTSU!"

"We'll come back…" With a smile a single tear rolled down Jakotsu's face, "Right big brother?…And then we will all be together again? Right big brother?"

"Brother…" Bankotsu whispered out, "I…"

But Jakotsu would never hear what his brother had to say. In malicious laughter Jakotsu joined his brothers in the grave and the world faded away. In futility Bankotsu jumped towards his brother's limp body, chains brutally fell onto him yet again, tears tracing his cheeks. "JAKOTSU!"

_Even if your people's lands weren't destroyed, and you were born with divine powers you would still be the same; hungry for power. _NO! NO! IT WASN'T TRUE! He couldn't have been like Tsumadaru. He couldn't have been…

_You don't understand. Your search for power will only lead you to misery; even your so called friend's will become worthless to you. _And there it was again, "_you don't understand"_…What didn't he understand? Why couldn't he understand it? Had his friend's become worthless to him? No, they never could be…he remembered his answer before. He was so sure of it back then. _"The difference between you and I Tsumadaru, is that unlike you I would never let anything blind sight me to betray me friends…I'm not scared of dying, but what right do I have to put them in danger, because of my search for strength"_

But there was the irony…and Tsumadaru had been right. He had betrayed his friends. No, he wasn't scared of dying, he never had been, but he had become blind, arrogant and he led his friends to their graves. He led Jakotsu to his death…

Renkotsu slowly shook his head in defeat. He rose with little assistance and walked towards the pit. His head bent over in contemplation. Slowly he allowed his markings to dissipate. The soldiers looked at this in confusion, but said nothing. "I'm ready…" he calmly spoke, resting to his knees, ignoring the pain.

"Brother!" Bankotsu yelled, "Renkotsu…"

But remaining in calm contemplation…he said nothing. He made no movements to Bankotsu and slowly lowered his head over the grave below. "Renkotsu…" he called once more. Slowly Renkotsu's eyes turned to face his older brother. Again, his eyes spoke it all. In silence he asked the question that Bankotsu could never understand. _"Why brother…why?"_

Bankotsu's struggling stopped as his last brother fell limp to the floor. He fell to the floor in defeat, his eyes shadowed. He sat alone with his thoughts. The words of Mitaru echoing in his ears… _"You fight for you friends…what happens when they are gone?"_

"…I…I don't know…"

"What was that?" The Head General laughed, looking at the limp bleeding mercenary, but no response was given. With a single hand he lifted up the young boy and shoved him towards the pit. Bankotsu looked below and saw the tortured expressions each of his brothers wore. Each he had sworn to protect and each he had failed. "I'm…sorry…" he slowly cried, a single tear rolled off his nose and fell amongst his lost brethren.

"Sorry he says!" the Head General laughed, the soldiers followed suit. The Eastern General Soujukai's face remained stoic and the cruel scene. He alone saw what none else had. Bankotsu was a fierce killer, but also a young child. A young boy who had witnessed the slaughtering of his kinsmen, his brothers, his family. The tears were not for himself. They were not for his fate…his tears were for sympathy, sympathy for their deaths. This boy was not a monster…just a lost soul…a child. _"Gods forgive them"_

"When the snow falls…" Bankotsu whispered to himself with a strange expression in his eyes. Strange, that the words of the monk on the mountain came to his mind now, "_You are very young…perhaps there may still be hope for you to learn the truth"_

The only time someone had taken him for what he was. The only time he was not harped on for not knowing the answers, because for it all…wasn't he just a child? Did he not have time to learn the answers everyone expected him to know?…No, not when his friends depended on him. But why had they? What did they see in him? Why couldn't he protect them? Why was he blinded by power? Why did he have to fight? Why…Why did he have to alone? Why did he have to die with the six faces of his greatest failures starring helplessly at him? Why couldn't he save them? Why couldn't he be stronger?….and that's where it would always fell…why couldn't he become stronger? Because, after all, the weak are the ones that die…

"Then perhaps I am weak…a human…" he smirked in defeat. "I was destined to fail…as I am destined to never learn the answer to these questions"

"What questions?" The Head General asked with a hard stare. Aggravated that the boy was ignoring him.

"…but there is more to it. I was cursed in my life, I understand that. My brother's were all marked by this too. They were as I am…plagued by questions, which are only silenced in death. That's the irony of it all then isn't it? We die as we lived…in the dark"

"You've spoken enough mercenary. It's time to join your brothers in hell" slowly the Head General lifted his hand for the signal to be made.

"I'll tell you one thing you can understand!" Bankotsu yelled to the group before him, "I WILL RETURN AND MY VENGANCE WILL KNOW NO BOUNDS! FOR I WILL NOT DIE!"

"KILL HIM!"

With a futile scream of unrelenting anguish and a fiery hatred he welcomed the cold steel against his neck…. Darkness fell…

"_you have murdered so many…" _

"_And I will kill many more…"_

"_I have no doubts of that…You fight for you friends…what happens when they are gone?"_

"_They won't die…not while I'm with them"_

"_Such confidence…you are not a God"_

"_Then I'll become stronger than one"_

"…_you are flawed…you will not live forever"_

"…_Then I will do what I want while I am alive"_

"…_you have become so tainted…if you value only the lives of the few, what will happen when you fail them? You will be consumed by your own selfish desire for power…you will fall…a most painful fate…a lonely one…"_

"_You underestimate me. I am undefeatable…I can not lose"_

"_When you're alone…and the need for power consumes you…you will become weak…"_

"_I'm by no means weak…the fools who fall to my blade are weak" _

"…_you underestimate the strength of the heart…that is your weakness. Bankotsu, how did you become so blind?"_

* * *

"Awaken Bankotsu, Awaken. I grant you life once again"

It had been dark for a while…as if his entire body had went to sleep on him. He knew he shouldn't be able to move, and yet the voice beckoned him to do so. Where was he? He couldn't even recall who he was…not really. He forced his eyes open, but the pain of sight struck his being. There was mist and a man in the shadows. "Who are you?" he found his voice. So familiar a voice.

"To think the man I met all those years ago was Bankotsu of the Band of Seven"

With the title, it came back. In a flash he remembered everything. He was Bankotsu the leader of a band of mercenaries. None could defeat them…and this shadowed man…Yes. "I remember now…you're that demon I met in the forest"

"My name is Naraku" he spoke in an indifferent tone.

"Wait…what is this?" he looked around the black abyss, clouded only by the cold fog that nipped at his naked body. The rest of the memories came back, his failings. He remembered now. He was not alive, and neither were they. "The seven of us were beheaded"

"You are quite right, we are inside your grave right now" Naraku's eyes fell behind the young mercenary. Bankotsu followed his gaze and gave a soft gasp. Surrounding him in an undignified manner were the scattered remains of all of his companions, reduced to mere bones.

"I imbedded a sacred jewel inside your body" the demon explained, "…that is the power you feel"

His mother's prophecy was beginning to make sense. His second life had found him. "Ah…" he smiled, "Sacred Jewel shards can be very useful cant they?"

"I want you to serve me Bankotsu. If you do this renewed life of yours will be everlasting" in an elegant movement the demon released a pile of glowing shards onto the cold ground below. The brilliant purple glow mesmerized Bankotsu as he crawled to retrieve them. Hearing the voice of the demon fade away he realized he had disappeared. "Now go forth with your six comrades and destroy my enemies…"

He counted the six shards…he was to revive his fallen men. How could he look into their eyes after failing them? Would this time be different? He lifted himself, managing the new feelings in his legs. It came with great ease, and his strength, he could tell, had greatly increased. He felt better than when he had been alive. Only if he had Banryu to really test things out he could… "Banryu…" he gritted his teeth, "That's right…"

He made his way to the large heap of bones in front of him. "Brothers…forgive me. I failed you, but I offer you another chance at life…a better life. I haven't learned anything from that dark sleep, but I know one thing…I want you all at my side again, and I want my revenge…" he smiled darkly. He listened to the silent agreement in the hallow ground and breathed in the scent. "_This time will be different…it has to be"_

* * *

In heavy breaths she forced herself awake. A single butterfly landed gently against her now open palm. Quietly she rose in contemplation. Her vision had become true. "He lives…" Mitaru whispered to the open night air.

Had he but known the whole truth of this new life, but she couldn't tell him then. He would live, but not for long. "Bankotsu" she sighed, "…you needed this life, no matter how short. You will finally understand that which has alluded you. My son, in your final glorious battle, at the peak of your misery…you will finally understand…you will find peace…"

In a kind embrace she sent the small winged creature to the air. Sending off a divine light of tranquility it left to carry forth its message. Its white wings shined bright, carrying a small black spot on each. Gracefully it flew off to find the resurrected human mercenary named Bankotsu.

* * *

**Sorry for the ridiculously long delay, but I really wanted the scene to do justice…and it was hard to kill off all these guys! Thank you all so much for sticking around for all this time. Thanks also to all of those who commented on my chapters. It really helped and inspired me to continue. I would love to hear your opinions about how this ended. I tried hard to make it as accurate as possible. So please send me a final review! **

**Thanks again to everyone!**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


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